A number of hotels—and a major hotel company—have appointed sales and marketing leaders in recent weeks. Here are some names to know.
Club Med
Club Med appointed two executives to its North American leadership team. Armelle De la Porte des Vaux is the new vice president of marketing, North America; and Ron Gulaskey is vice president of U.S. sales and strategy.
De la Porte des Vaux has held senior roles at L’Oréal and Dior. Since joining Club Med in 2019 as marketing director for the Benelux region in Europe, she has spearheaded campaigns, including revitalizing the Belgian market and overseeing strategic initiatives for the German market, one of Europe’s key outbound tourism hub. She helped oversee new openings, such as the Marbella resort in Spain, and successfully managing major projects like the renovation sponsorship of Vittel.
Gulaskey most recently was associate vice president of global sales at Celebrity Cruises. His diverse background includes leadership in both the leisure and the meetings, incentives, conferences and events segments. In his previous role, Gulaskey managed corporate, incentive, gift card, and charter sales, while also leading North America national/strategic account sales and trade relations for Celebrity Cruises. His career in travel sales and marketing includes senior roles at Royal Caribbean Group. Before entering the travel sector, Gulaskey held leadership roles at Polaroid Corporation, focusing on both consumer and commercial markets. In his new role, Gulaskey will oversee travel agency partnerships and MICE sales, further enhancing Club Med’s footprint in the U.S. market.
Hard Rock Hotel San Diego
In California, the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego appointed Anna Livingston director of sales. Livingston began her hospitality career as an events manager before working in catering and group sales in Savannah, Ga., where she spent the past seven years.
Livingston has held leadership roles for more than five years..
King Kamehameha Kona Beach Resort
On Hawaii Island, King Kamehameha Kona Beach Resort appointed Christopher Blunt as the new director of sales and marketing.
Before joining King Kamehameha Kona Beach Resort, Blunt worked as a Hawaii Island Tour Guide for Kailani Tours in Kona, where he led VIP and group tours across Hawaii’s major national parks and cultural landmarks. His responsibilities also included managing guest services, safety, and vehicle maintenance, while creating team-oriented environments on each tour. Blunt also worked as a sales manager at Fair Wind Cruises and held positions at Mauna Lani Bay Hotel and Bungalows, Marriott Resorts Hawaii, Grand Wailea Resort Hotel & Spa and Prince Resorts Hawaii.
Park Hyatt New York
The Park Hyatt New York in Manhattan appointed Vincent De Croock director of sales and marketing.
Most recently, De Croock worked as the director of sales & marketing for Grand Hyatt Scottsdale (Ariz.) Resort where he developed sales strategies, spearheaded a digital marketing transformation and planned a multimillion-dollar renovation and rebranding. De Croock’s hospitality career began in 2005 at Park Hyatt Madrid before moving on to Park Hyatt Washington, D.C.
Ritz-Carlton, Boston
The Ritz-Carlton, Boston, appointed Joe Mauro director of sales and marketing for the 193-guestroom hotel. Mauro started his sales career with Marriott International more than 24 years ago and has extensive experience in both property and above-property sales. Most recently, he was senior account executive for Marriott where he was responsible for delivering total account management across 22 corporate accounts.
Mauro also was market director of group sales for the Marriott International Northeast Group Sales Office where he was responsible for leading the above-property group sales effort for more than 35 Marriott-managed premium and select-service brands in the greater New York area including New York City. Before this, Mauro was director of group & transient sales for the Starwood Boston Metro Market, representing multiple Boston properties. He also held sales leadership roles at both the Boston Park Plaza Hotel and the Sheraton Colonial.
Tanzerra Resorts
Tanzerra Resorts, the owner and operator of five resorts—Twin Farms in Vermont, The Cove Eleuthera in The Bahamas, the Tides Inn in Virginia and Enchantment Resort and Mii amo in Arizona—appointed Brett Briseno vice president of sales and marketing and Shannon Walters director of sales and marketing for Enchantment Resort and Mii amo.
Before his promotion, Briseno was director of sales and marketing for Enchantment Resort and Mii amo. He helped oversee the reopening of Mii amo following the spa’s two-year closure and $40 million renovation, as well as the recent refresh to Enchantment Resort’s pool deck and brand new poolside dining concept, The Edge. He has worked with W Hotels, including W Dallas Victory, W Minneapolis, W Austin; Auberge Resorts Collection and Aurora Anguilla Resort & Golf Club. In his new role, he will oversee sales and marketing strategies for Tanzerra Resorts’ full portfolio across North America.
As the new director of sales and marketing for Enchantment Resort and Mii amo, Walters brings more than 25 years of hospitality experience. Originally from southern California, she began her career in front-office operations before rising to sales manager of Hilton Hotel in Long Beach, Calif. Through the years, she held positions including director of sales at Pacific Palms Resort in Industry, Calif. and vice president of sales and marketing at the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa in Riverside, Calif.. Most recently before her promotion, Walters was director of catering and conference services for Enchantment Resort. In her new role, she will oversee the sales and marketing strategies for both properties, promoting their offerings in the meeting and event planning sectors and manage the event services and catering departments.