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The Travel Career Connexxions Opportunities Newsletter
11/23/04 The only weekly newsletter detailing essential trends, news and top executive moves in travel. Opportunities is a free newsletter that provides you with the vision to "see" travel industry opportunities in the making. Whether you are in sales, business development, guiding your company's growth or managing your career, reading opportunities will give you the advantage to succeed. Opportunities is another innovative tool brought to you by Travel Career Connexxions. For more information, visit http://www.TravelExecutive.com This week in Opportunities:
Disney Earnings Spurred By Theme Park Growth To ensure that you always receive this newsletter and other communications from Travel Career Connexxions, please add our address to your Address Book (newsletter@travelexecutive.com). This will keep most email filters from misinterpreting and discarding these emails. Did you know? As of 11/23/04 there are 121 executive-level travel jobs published in the Travel Career Connexxions employment report. Positions include Director of Sales (11/17), Director Business Development (11/17), Director of Operations (11/08), Regional Vice President (11/05), Director of E-Commerce Marketing (10/28), CEO, Chief Marketing Officer and more. It only takes one person to fill the job of a lifetime - and that someone could be you! http://www.TravelExecutive.com OPPORTUNITIES NEWS & TRENDS Walt Disney Earnings Spurred By Theme Park Growth Industry bellwether Walt Disney Company reported higher fourth quarter earnings and significantly increased earnings and record cash flow for its fiscal year ended Sept. 30, 2004, in part due to better results at the company's theme parks, considered a good indicator of the overall health of the industry. Revenues were up 14 percent to $30.752 billion versus $27 billion, while net income was up 85 percent to $2.345 billion, compared with $1.267 billion in the same period in the previous year. At the company's Parks and Resorts unit, revenues for the year increased 21 percent to $7.8 billion and segment operating income increased 17 percent to $1.1 billion. For the quarter, revenues increased 31 percent to $2.2 billion and segment operating income increased 25 percent to $282 million. Revenue and operating income growth for the year was primarily driven by increases at Walt Disney World. Growth for the quarter reflected improvements at Disneyland primarily due to increased per capita guest spending driven by ticket price increases and less discounting. Revenue and operating income growth at the Walt Disney World Resort for the year was primarily driven by higher theme park attendance, hotel occupancy and guest spending at the theme parks. Higher visitation at Walt Disney World from both domestic and international tourists as well as Florida residents reflected the continued success of Mission: SPACE, Mickey's PhilharMagic and Disney's Pop Century Resort, and improvements in travel and tourism. Increased guest spending was driven by ticket price increases and less discounting. For the quarter, operating income at Walt Disney World decreased slightly as increased guest spending was offset by decreased attendance as a result of the Florida hurricanes, which resulted in the temporary closure of the theme parks and increased costs. Higher guest spending at Disneyland for the year and quarter was also driven by ticket price increases and less discounting. So if Disney's theme parks are coming back strong, can the rest of the industry be far behind? Two Surveys Show Boost in Holiday Travel AAA projects that 37.2 million Americans will take a trip of 50 miles or more from home this Thanksgiving holiday weekend. This is a 3.1 percent increase above the 36.1 million who traveled last year. Approximately 30.6 million travelers (82 percent of all holiday travelers) expect to go by motor vehicle, a 2.9 percent increase from the 29.8 million who drove a year ago. Another 4.6 million (12 percent) plan to go by airplane, up almost 4 percent from last Thanksgiving. A projected 2 million vacationers (five percent) will go by train, bus or other mode of transportation. Meanwhile, despite recent declines in the consumer confidence index, a new Maritz poll reports good news for industries associated with holiday travel. The new survey shows that Americans planning to travel over the holidays are going to spend at least 25 percent more than they did last year. According to the poll, the median amount travelers plan to spend this year on travel for one of the winter holidays, including Thanksgiving, is $500 compared to only $400 in 2003. The number of Americans who actually plan to travel is one-in-four (25 percent), which is consistent with a similar Maritz Poll conducted last year. The data findings indicate that travelers are spending more money in a variety of ways; specifically, 39 percent intend to travel by air over at least one of the holidays, compared to only 29 percent in 2003. The amount travelers plan to spend on alternative lodging is an average of $126 per night, which is higher than the 2003 average of $96 per night. Among those planning to travel, 37 percent said they plan to spend more on holiday travel this year than last, as opposed to only 10 percent of the respondents who plan to spend less. Sabre Holdings Gives Gilliland a New Role as Chairman Travel technology leader Sabre Holdings Corporation has a new chief--well, not exactly all that new. Sabre said its board of directors has named Chief Executive Officer Sam Gilliland to the additional role of chairman. Gilliland was named president and CEO of Sabre Holdings on Dec. 2, 2003. At that time, Paul Ely, Jr. was elected to serve as the non-executive chairman of the company's board of directors. Ely will remain on Sabre Holdings' board as an independent director. Gilliland has been with the company since 1988 in a number of leadership positions, including CEO of Travelocity, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Sabre Holdings, group president of the company's Airline Solutions business unit, and senior vice president and general manager of Sabre Business Travel Solutions. Air Lingus Seeks New Chiefs After Top Execs Depart The top three executives at the Irish state airline Air Lingus Group PLC, including Chief Executive Willie Walsh, have resigned. Walsh, Chief Financial Officer Brian Dunne and Chief Operations Officer Seamus Kearney all submitted their resignations to take effect from next May. The three had planned a management buyout of the company in June but the proposal was ruled out last month by Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern. Ireland's political leader Bertie Ahern has been critical of senior management at Aer Lingus, citing difficult industrial relations situation at the company, since the unions felt the people they were dealing with were trying to sell out to make themselves rich. He also claimed there was huge resentment that the management team claimed all the credit for the company's recovery after Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. But Walsh rejected any suggestion that he or his fellow executives were acting solely to enrich themselves when they sought permission to pursue a management buyout of the airline earlier this year. Meanwhile, Irish Minister for Transport Martin Cullen said he will soon be meeting Aer Lingus Chairman John Sharman to discuss appointing a new senior management team at the state-owned company. He said Aer Lingus must move on and that his desire and that of the government to keep the airline on a sustainable growth path was undiminished by the resignations. Cullen said a new management team would be charged with consolidating the progress of recent years and building for the future. No word on whether you need to be Irish to apply! Luxury Operator Travcoa Names Jerre Fuqua as President Travcoa, the luxury-only operator of worldwide tours, named Jerre Fuqua as company president, a little more than two months after the departure of former President Tom Stanley, who left to become vice president of sales at Trafalgar Tours. Bringing more than 20 years of travel marketing and management experience to the position, Fuqua will be responsible for the overall marketing, sales, management and operations activities for the luxury travel company. Fuqua's appointment is effective January 3, 2005. Prior to his appointment, Fuqua was most recently vice president-marketing, sales and reservations for Cruise West, where he introduced new small-ship cruising destinations including Central America, Japan and the South Pacific. In the same role for Alaska's Glacier Bay Tours and Cruises, Fuqua created the company's active and adventure cruise products in Alaska and Mexico's Sea of CortÈs. In other news, Travcoa also named Alexandra Mager as director of marketing and Louise Schumbris as director of program management for the company. Both positions report directly to Travcoa's president. Mager brings her extensive background in international marketing to Travcoa effective immediately. Her responsibilities at Travcoa include directing all aspects of the company's marketing and communications efforts. For the past four years she has managed the marketing services department and lead product marketing for Club Med in Miami. Shumbris brings more than 20 years of international travel industry experience and expertise to Travcoa. Her responsibilities at the company include program development, program operations and documents. She officially joins Travcoa after Dec. 1, 2004. Schumbris worked as account executive in the advertising industry where she managed travel clients including racetracks and resorts. Developing a special interest in program development and operations, she went on to create and manage a wide range of programs for Contiki Holidays and Tauck Tours. In addition, she ran her own sports tour company, developing and conducting team tours and tournaments between the South Pacific, the Americas and the U.K. Most recently Schumbris set up and managed the Custom Groups department at Destination America, an inbound tour operator. Both Mager and Schumbris will be based in the company's headquarters in Newport Beach, Calif. Mark Travel Launches Online Campaign to Recruit Top Talent After 30 years in business, The Mark Travel Corporation is growing its business with an innovative online campaign to recruit top travel industry talent. Continuing its role as a travel technology pioneer, The Mark Travel Corporation launched an industry first virtual job fair on its web site (www.marktravel.com) that will run through Dec. 10, 2004. "We are on a dynamic growth path that relies on leading technology and top talent to expand our reach," said Bill La Macchia Jr., chief operating officer of The Mark Travel Corporation. "This campaign will help grow our organization and further position us as a leader in our industry." The virtual job fair consists of four online chats per week by Mark Travel executives with potential recruits to answer their questions and get them excited about the opportunities the company has to offer. The campaign showcases The Mark Travel Corporation as an exciting company that is attracting new talent and also highlights Mark Travel's employees as among the best in the industry. The headline for the virtual job fair campaign is: "Are you #1 in your industry? We are. But we still strive to do better." "In order to continue to grow, we now need to build upon our human capital asset by bringing additional talented individuals into our organization. By bringing in fresh new ideas we will learn more and be better at what we do," said La Macchia, Jr. "Recognizing the many opportunities for growth that we are moving toward in the next three years, it became clear that the greatest asset in our organization is our people. Their talents will help us continue to learn, grow, succeed and be the best we can be." The Mark Travel Corporation is headquartered in Milwaukee, was founded in 1974. The company employs more than 1,500 individuals in 15 offices worldwide. The vacation companies of The Mark Travel Corporation include AeroMexico Vacations, ATA Vacations, Blue Sky Tours, Funjet Vacations, Mark International, MGM MIRAGE Vacations, Midwest Airlines Vacations, Mountain Vacations, Showtime Tours, Southwest Airlines Vacations, TransGlobal Vacations, Travel Charter, United Vacations, US Airways Vacations, Vacations by Adventure Tours and lasvegasandmore.com. To participate in the virtual job fair, online chats, search and apply for jobs, or send a resume, go to www.marktravel.com/careers/careerfair.asp. Carnival Cruise Lines Names New Ship Carnival Freedom They still are building those big ships-and there seems to be no let-up in sight for cruise growth. Carnival Cruise Lines selected Carnival Freedom as the name for its new 110,000-ton cruise ship scheduled to enter service in spring 2007. To be built at a cost of $500 million at the Fincantieri shipyard in Sestri, Italy, the new 2,974-passenger "Fun Ship" will be the fifth in Carnival's Conquest-class, which also includes Carnival Conquest and Carnival Glory, currently in service, and Carnival Valor and Carnival Liberty, set to debut Dec. 15, 2004, and July 20, 2005, respectively. The new Carnival Freedom will encompass 13 passenger decks housing 22 lounges and bars, a 13,300-square-foot health club, a 2,400-square-foot children's play room, a 4,200-square-foot teen club/game room, four swimming pools, a 214-foot-long water slide, and four restaurants, including an upscale reservations-only supper club. But the "Freedom" name certainly seems to be popular these days. Earlier this month, Royal Caribbean said its new mega-ship would be named Freedom of the Seas. Sol Melia Expands Hard Rock Joint Venture in Europe Hard Rock International and Sol Meli· Hotels and Resorts said their joint venture will manage Europe's first Hard Rock Hotel in Madrid. The 202-room Reina Victoria Hotel, which is held by Sol Meli· under a long-term lease, is in the heart of Madrid's old city in the western end of the pedestrian-only Plaza de Santa Ana. The hotel will undergo an extensive refurbishment to begin immediately, following which it will be re-branded the Hard Rock Hotel Reina Victoria. Madrid will be the fourth Hard Rock Hotel to be part of the joint venture since its formation in 2003, the others being in Chicago, which opened in 2003, New York (Paramount Hotel in Times Square), scheduled to open in 2005, and San Diego which is due to open in 2006. InterContinental Keeps Growing South of the Border InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has signed its 100th franchise agreement in Mexico and is continuing to expand its presence. With more than 76 properties opened in Mexico today, the IHG brand Holiday Inn is one of the most recognized mid-market brands in the country. An upscale offering from IHG, Crowne Plaza is the one of the fastest growing hotel brands in Mexico. This 100th license agreement marks the addition of the Crowne Plaza Acapulco. The 506-room hotel is a conversion property that is noted for its spectacular architecture and is considered an icon of the Acapulco Bay. Other notable Mexico expansion news includes the fact that 24 (3,130 rooms) IHG properties will be built by the end of 2006: Eight Crowne Plaza hotels located in Chetumal, Mexico City, Jalapa, Nuevo Laredo, Oaxaca, Tuxtla, Gutierrez and Villahermosa; eight Holiday Inn hotels located in Irapuato, Ixtapa, Pachuca, Paraiso in Tabasco, Reynosa, San Cristobal de las Casas, Tampico and Tapachula; seven Holiday Inn Express hotels located in Chetumal, Merida, Santa Fe (in Mexico City), Monterrey, Nuevo Laredo, San Luis Potosi and Villahermosa; and a Staybridge Suites that will open in Puebla. For more information, visit www.ichotelsgroup.com Le Meridien Expands with New Hotels in Stuttgart, Kuwait Le Meridien continues its expansion in Europe and the Middle East with the opening of its eighth hotel in Germany, Le Meridien Stuttgart, and a hotel in the Gulf region, Le Meridien Tower Kuwait. The 281-room Le Meridien Stuttgart, which has completed a Ä19 million refurbishment, is centrally located on Willy Brandt Strasse. Meanwhile, Le Meridien Tower Kuwait is the first hotel in the Gulf region to feature the group's successful Art + Tech design concept. The 70-room boutique style hotel is located just 15-minutes from Kuwait International Airport in the heart of the business district of Kuwait city. Rezidor Grows Brand with New Hotels in Biarritz, Rome Rezidor SAS, the Brussels based multi-brand hospitality company, has signed a franchise agreement for another property in France, Radisson SAS Hotel Biarritz, and a management contract for a hotel in Rome. In Biarritz, the existing Crown Plaza hotel will be officially re-branded the Radisson SAS Hotel Biarritz and integrated into the company's portfolio as of January 2005. The hotel features 150 guestrooms, including nine junior suites, almost half of them facing the ocean. Rezidor SAS also has signed a management agreement with the ES Hotel in Rome to convert and re-brand the hotel as a Radisson SAS. The hotel is located in the center of Rome, within walking distance of many of the main tourist attractions and close to the Airport Express train at Termini Station. It has 235 individually-designed guest rooms and 27 suites. Empire Resorts to Buy Catskill's Concord, Grossinger's Resorts There's a new empire being created in the Catskills-but this time it's a gaming resort power. Empire Resorts, Inc. entered into a binding agreement with Concord Associates LP and an affiliate to buy the Concord and Grossinger's Resort Hotels and Golf Courses, two of the Catskill Mountains' historically renowned and strategically located resort properties. The acquisition includes casino and hotel development sites, and 72 holes of golf, including the Monster, International, Challenger and Grossinger's Golf Courses. Empire also has individual agreements in force with two different tribes--Cayuga Nation of New York and Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma--for the development and management by Empire of two Native American gaming facilities in the Catskill Mountains. The agreements terminate in December 2004 and August 2005, respectively. Empire has previously announced plans to develop a $500 million "Class III" Native American casino and resort on a site adjacent to the Monticello Raceway with another Native American Tribe, the Cayuga Nation of New York. With the Concord and Grossinger's acquisitions, Empire will be able to pursue its two casino development opportunities simultaneously. Empire operates the Monticello Raceway and is involved in the development of other legal gaming venues in New York. For example, Empire opened Mighty M Gaming at the Raceway site on June 30, 2004. The new facility features 1,743 video gaming machines and amenities such as a 350-seat buffet and live nightly entertainment. Kor Hotel Group Set to Manage Miami Beach's Tides Hotel Kor Hotel Group, the Los Angeles-based luxury hotel operator, is set to manage the Tides hotel in Miami Beach, Fla., following an agreement signed with The Falor Companies, owners of the newly acquired historic property. Kor Hotel Group is well known for successfully positioning distinctive destination hotels that combine progressive design and elegance with dedicated attention to personalized service. Tides, formerly owned and managed by Chris Blackwell's Islands Resorts, is Kor Hotel Group's first property outside of California, where the company's current signature boutique hotel collection includes Viceroy Santa Monica, Viceroy Palm Springs & Estrella Spa, Avalon Hotel and Maison 140 in Beverly Hills. Kor Hotel Group officially assumed management of the Tides on Nov. 15. Starwood Expansion Moves from Chattanooga to New York Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announced the grand opening of the Sheraton Read House in Chattanooga, Tenn. The hotel, located in downtown Chattanooga, recently completed a $12 million restoration and is the newest addition to the Sheraton family, Starwood's largest brand. Owned and managed by The Falor Companies of Chicago, the Sheraton Read House has 243 guestrooms including full-sized suites, two Presidential Suites, three spacious Hospitality Suites, oversized guest rooms, and numerous Spa Suites complete with large private whirlpools. Hosting prominent celebrities since the early 1900s, including Ronald Reagan, Winston Churchill and Bob Hope, the Read House was once the only hotel in town that offered visitors an elegant place to meet and stay. Elsewhere, Starwood said ground has been broken on the new Four Points by Sheraton Soho Village in Manhattan's Soho neighborhood, which will be the area's first newly built moderately-priced hotel. The Four Points by Sheraton Soho Village will mark the hotel giant's 14th property in New York City, and offers an affordable lodging alternative in one of Manhattan's most vibrant neighborhoods. The 150-room property is scheduled to open in July 2006. Travel Search Engine Business Has Two New Entries Mobissimo, Inc., a comprehensive and multinational online travel search engine, was officially launched after a successful public beta test in which 850,000 users performed more than 1.7 million travel searches. Mobissimo is a next-generation online travel solution, searching 80 consolidators, budget carriers, major airlines, and international sites to deliver information from hundreds of airline, hotel and car rental providers. The company claims to deliver comprehensive international travel information, finding fares for a mere fraction the cost of traditional domestic providers. For more information, visit www.mobissimo.com. Separately, FareCompare, based in Dallas, introduced a new Fares First Search technology that uses a fare-first approach, first identifying the lowest fare in any given market and then applying flight schedule and seat availability filters to refine the response. The company said the new technology returns itineraries in the way that consumers really want to buy and which airlines intend to sell. FareCompare plans to license its search technology to other companies. While it can be absorbed into existing online travel sites, it is more likely that it will be adopted by new players or by existing informational sites that are making the move into travel transactions. For more information, visit www.farecompare.com. Find Top Hotel News & Information at Hotel-Online.com Want a good daily source of news from the hotel industry? Try www.hotel-online.com. This site features daily news of new hotels, renovated hotels, executive appointments and other industry news. Hotel Online calls itself the hospitality industry's on-line meeting place, providing the latest and most relevant news, trends, discussion forums, employment opportunities, and classified advertising. The latest industry news (updated each weekday and archived for 60 days) is delivered from Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News, PR Newswire and Business Wire. A Search Tool can be used for easy exploration of the archive of over 21,000 news stories from the last six years, merely by typing in one to three words such as the name of a company, city or person. Inside Hotel Online today is the site's four times a week e-mail sent to your email address. Over 19,200 hospitality professionals subscribe to this service. In addition, 26 leading firms present papers on the latest trends and events affecting the hospitality industry. Another section with classified advertising for hospitality employment features hotel business opportunities and items and properties for sale. For more information, visit www.hotel-online.com. OPPORTUNITIES EXECUTIVE MOVERS! AIRLINES: US Airways Group Inc. named veteran employee E. Allen Hemenway to fill the vacant position of vice president of labor relations. Hemenway most recently was managing director of labor relations-ground, a position he assumed in 2002. He joined US Airways from PSA Airlines, Inc., in 1988 as a regional manager in customer service with responsibilities for US Airways' Northeast operations. But Hemenway is taking on his new post during some challenging times, especially for labor relations. The Alexandria, Va.-based airline, which has downgraded Pittsburgh from its hub, has asked a bankruptcy court judge to terminate labor contracts with its machinists, flight attendants and passenger service employees and have him impose new contracts with pay cuts ranging from 6 percent to 27 percent, along with termination of the flight attendants' and machinists' pension plans. A hearing about the new contracts is scheduled to begin Dec. 2. The airline is trying in the meantime to negotiate agreements with unions that would provide the necessary cost savings. But the Communications Workers of America has authorized a strike if necessary, and flight attendants are in the midst of voting on a strike authorization. CRUISE LINES: Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. announced that Donald Habeger has been promoted to regional vice president of government and community relations. Formerly the company's director of industry relations for Hawaii, the Pacific Northwest and the western provinces of Canada, Habeger now oversees Royal Caribbean's government and community relations activities throughout Canada, the U.S. West Coast and Hawaii. He is based in Juneau, Alaska. Prior to joining Royal Caribbean in September 2002, Habeger served as Southeast Stevedoring's port manager for the Port of Juneau and remote ports throughout the northern section of Southeastern Alaska. He also was the company's vessel agent to cruise ships calling at the Port of Juneau in the 1980s. Habeger's past and current professional affiliations include membership on Alaska's Hazardous Spill Technology Review Committee, Juneau's Ad Hoc Utility Advisory Board, the Alaska Travel Industry Association, Juneau Port Advisory Committee, Collaboration Juneau Inc. and the Alaska Visitors Association. HOTELS & RESORTS: Cendant Corporation's Hotel Group promoted Peter Strebel, a 22-year lodging veteran, to executive vice president and chief marketing officer. Strebel, who formerly served the hotel group as senior vice president-sales and marketing, will be responsible for the marketing of Cendant's eight franchised hotel brands as well as strategic planning, market research, promotions, sales, the TripRewards loyalty program, distribution through all channels and communications. Among his recent accomplishments, Strebel directed the launch of TripRewards, Cendant's multi-brand loyalty program, which has helped boost system-wide revenue per available room, a key industry performance metric. He also oversees four distribution channels that deliver more than $1 billion in revenue annually...La Quinta Corporation has appointed Mark Osterberg as vice president and chief accounting officer. Osterberg will lead La Quinta's accounting, financial reporting and audit functions and will report to David Rea, executive vice president and chief financial officer. He brings to La Quinta over 20 years of financial management and public company experience, much of that time being spent within the travel industry. Osterberg has served as chief accounting officer for Northwest Airlines Corporation and chief financial officer for Sun Country Airlines...Jaime Valdes has been appointed general manager of Trump International Sonesta Beach Resort, Sunny Isles Beach, Fla. In this position, he will oversee all operations at the 32-story, 390-room beachfront property. Prior to joining Sonesta, Valdes worked with Sol Melia hotels in S„o Paulo, Brazil at the Gran Melia Mofarrej and the Gran Melia WTC. Earlier in his career, he held positions with Starwood Hotels, including general manager of the Sheraton Bal Harbour Beach Resort in Miami. Valdes has been active in community and industry affairs throughout his career, holding memberships and board positions in the S„o Paulo Hotel & Motel Association, Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau and Chamber of Commerce of Chile-U.S.A.... Cendant Corporation promoted Jean Thomas to corporate senior vice president of marketing for its Hospitality Services Division. Thomas, who formerly served Cendant's Hotel Group as senior vice president-brand strategy, will be responsible for developing a Hospitality Services Division marketing strategy and identifying and optimizing channel, consumer and media synergies between the division's business units. She also will serve as the point person for top-tier alliance marketing relationships and programs, provide marketing coordination between the business units and corporate information technology teams for division-wide initiatives and coordinate division efforts with Cendant's Travel Link team, which promotes inter-company travel synergies. Thomas will report to Steve Holmes, corporate vice chairman and division chairman and chief executive officer. The Hospitality Services Division encompasses Cendant's eight hotel brands; its Vacation Ownership Group, with brands including Fairfield Resorts, TrendWest and RCI; and its Vacation Rental Group, with brands including Welcome Holidays and Novasol... Jack Miller has transferred to the Intercontinental Miami as general manager, taking over for the retiring Fred de Roode. A long-time Intercontinental general manager, Miller comes from the Intercontinental Houston. William Plegt has been appointed general manager of the Intercontinental Houston. Prior to this appointment, Plegt was the general manager of the Intercontinental San Juan Resort & Casino. He had originally joined the company in 1984 at the Barclay Intercontinental New York. In Houston, he takes over from Jack Miller...Sean Maddock is the new general manager at the Arizona Biltmore for KSL Resorts. A former Shangri-La executive, he transfers from the same position at the Claremont Resort and Spa, a property he had joined in April. At the Biltmore, he replaces Stephen Ast, who left the company. At the Claremont Resort and Spa, Victor Woo, director of marketing, is filling in as interim general manager...Marco Selva is the new general manager at the Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, replacing Michael Carsch, who left the company. Selva was most recently the opening general manager of the Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove. Angella Reid comes from the Ritz-Carlton Washington, D.C., to replace Selva as general manager in Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove...The Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa announced the addition of Jim Miller to its executive staff as vice president of sales and marketing. Miller was most recently involved in the real estate market in Atlanta...Interstate Hotels & Resorts announced that Michael Krouse has joined the company in Virginia as vice president, sales and marketing, West Coast. Prior to joining Interstate, Krouse was the director of sales and marketing at the Millennium Biltmore in Los Angeles and had spent the previous 10 years with Hilton Hotels Corporation...At the Waldorf-Astoria in New York, Jo-Anne Budge has left after seven years as director of human resources. Her successor is Christine Ferone, who was promoted from within. Prior to going the Waldorf-Astoria, Ferone was the director of human resources at the Regency, also in New York...Michel Galopin has been named general manager of the Hotel Ritz Paris, where he will be reporting to Ritz President Frank Klein. For the past six years, Galopin has been at the helm of the Grand Hotel du Cap Ferrat, where extensive renovations are under way. Galopin started his career at the Ritz 30 years ago. TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY: IAC/InterActiveCorp, the parent company of Ticketmaster and Expedia, has named Thomas McInerney as chief financial officer, effective Jan. 1. He is to succeed Dara Khosrowshahi, who is moving over to spearhead the company's IAC Travel unit. New York-based IAC said McInerney, 40 years old, joined the company from Morgan Stanley in 1999 to serve as executive vice president and financial chief of Ticketmaster. He moved to his current role as chief executive of the Home Shopping Network and IAC Electronic Retailing in January 2003. As reported, the company installed Khosrowshahi, 35, to replace Erik Blachford, who stepped down as president and chief executive of IAC Travel to pursue opportunities elsewhere. DESTINATIONS: LA Inc. The Convention and Visitors Bureau has appointed Ann (Mimi) Orman as director of membership sales. In her new role, Orman is actively expanding LA Inc.'s base of qualified membership prospects through new business development. She also serves as a members' advocate, encouraging them to make full use of LA Inc., its staff and the services it offers to members; and she is charged with promoting and retaining members. Orman comes to LA Inc. from the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce and Civic Association, where she served as membership sales manager. There, she identified and targeted large corporations and other businesses as members, as well as helped secure corporate sponsorships and partnerships for major events in that city. Prior to her membership sales experience, Orman worked in special events management for six years. At Northern Trust, she directed all events for three of the company's major offices in the Los Angeles area and coordinated statewide conferences, seminars and other events for its nine additional offices in California and Nevada. During an earlier tenure at the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce and Civic Association, she planned, organized and implemented events as diverse as the Beverly Hills Ball and Beverly Hills Parade of Lights. Orman also has held positions in sales for tourism-related companies.
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