Friday 18 September 2025 – Trinity Bridge Friday news briefing
We hope you have had a great week. Please see below our round-up, keeping you up to date and informed about senior people moves from across the hotel sector.
** A round-up of this week’s people moves in the hospitality sector
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Whitbread have announced the appointment of Jonathan Howell as an independent Non-Executive Director of the Company and Chair of the Audit Committee with effect from 1 January 2026. Jonathan is currently Group CFO for Sage and will be stepping down from the end of 2025.
Marriott International has announced the promotion of Juhi Roy to the role of Vice President, Hotel Development, South Asia from her previous position of Senior Director, Hotel Management, South Asia.
Marcus Simões has been named as the new Vice President of Sales for Americas (Premium, Midscale & Economy)at Accor . Throughout his career, Marcus has worked with international brands including Marriott, Hotelbeds and HBX group and also had a previous tenure with Accor.
Orient Express has named Simone Giorgi as General Manager of Orient Express, La Minverva, the recently opened property in Rome, the first of the brand owned by Arsenale Group and developed in partnership with Orient Express. Simone has previously held General Manager roles at II Salviatino in Florence, JK Place Capri, and Villa Cora.
InterContinental Hotels Group has announced the appointment of Emmy Stoel as the new General Manager of InterContinental, Athénée Palace, Bucharest. She brings extensive experience in luxury hotel management to the role, having previously managed Sofitel Legend, The Grand Amsterdam, and Hotel Okura, Amsterdam.
Kempinski Hotel, Muscat , has promoted Karim El Berkchi to the role of Hotel Manager. He joined the property in 2023 and previously held the position of Director of Sales & Marketing.
Maykel Escalona has been appointed as the new Managing Director for Rosewood Hotel, Georgia . Maykel previously served as Acting Resort Manager for Rosewood, Miramar Beach.
The Fifth Avenue Hotel , New York, has announced the appointment of Karla Aabo as the new Managing Director & Chief Operating Officer. She brings 25 years’ experience to the role leading top tier luxury hotels and private clubs around the world. Her most recent role was as Managing Director of Montauk Yacht Club.
Steve Savastano has joined Omni, Amelia Island Resort & Spa as Director of Food & Beverage. He previously served as Director of Food & Beverage at Omni, Oklahoma City Hotel.
Marriott International has announced the appointment of Audra Arul as Director of Sales & Distribution for The St. Regis, Al Mouj Muscat Resort. Audra’s previous career includes roles with Hyatt, Marriott, Starwood and Banyan Tree, most recently she held the role of Cluster Director of Sales at Kandima, Maldives and Nova, Maldives.
W, Abu Dhabi, Yas Island has appointed Ajai Nair as Cluster Director of Finance for W, Abu Dhabi, Yas Island and Courtyard by Marriott, World Trade Centre, Abu Dhabi. He joins from W, Dubai, The Palm where he has led finance operations since 2022.
Preeti Mittoo has joined The Westin, Goa as Director of Sales & Marketing. She previously held the role of General Manager, Sales, North India for Lemon Tree and Aurika Hotels.
Four Seasons Hotel, Mumbai has announced the appointment of Henna Punjabi as the new Director of Public Relations & Communications. She brings extensive experience in marketing to the role and in her new role will lead the hotel’s communications and brand positioning.
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Trinity Bridge is an Executive Search firm specialising in the hospitality, travel and leisure sectors.
We operate globally and build leadership teams for both multinational and domestic companies. We advise listed and privately owned businesses, as well as the portfolio companies of private equity funds and family offices.
Our mission is to help organisations and people succeed. We enable our clients to achieve their goals by giving them access to the best talent from across industries.
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