Friday 8 August 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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Chris Wayne-Wills has stepped down from his role as Chief Executive Officer of Crerar Hotels after more than five years to pursue other opportunities. Chris joined the group in 2020 from Marriott where he was Cluster General Manager, Scotland and the North. Prior to this, he held the role of Regional Managing Director for Macdonald Hotels & Resorts for 11 years.
Firmdale Hotels has announced the promotion of Kathrin Apitz to Vice President of Operations, overseeing operations at the group’s three prominent New York City locations; Crosby Street Hotel, The Whitby Hotel and the recently opened Warren Street Hotel. Kathrin has been with the group for 15 years and has spent the last eight as General Manager of The Whitby Hotel.
Tokyo-based hospitality group TRUNK has appointed Toni Hinterstoisser to the role of President, International. Toni brings over 30 years of experience to the role, most recently serving as Vice President for Asia at citizenM Hotels.
Chalet Hotels has announced that Shwetank Singh will be taking the role of Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer from February 2026 as Sanjay Sethi steps down. Shwetank currently holds the role of Chief Growth & Strategy Officer for the group.
Aimbridge Hospitality has announced the promotion of Allison Handy to the role of Chief Commercial Officer from her previous position as Executive Vice President, Commercial, which she has held since 2024. Allison joined Aimbridge in 2021 and previously held senior commercial roles at PRISM Hotels & Resorts and Interstate Hotels & Resorts.
Omni Hotels & Resorts has promoted Daven Wardynski to the role of Vice President, Food & Beverage for the group’s portfolio of luxury hotels. Daven joined the group in 1998 and has held key roles at notable properties, most recently as Area Food & Beverage Director for the Resort Collection.
Jonathan Brown has been announced as the new General Manager for Ashdown Park Hotel in Sussex. Jonathan takes over from Ben Booker who is stepping down after holding the role for the past 18 years. Jonathan joins from The Automobile Club in London where he held the role of Director of Operations and has also held managerial roles at Luton Hoo Hotel and The Grove in Hertfordshire.
Eduard Sarton has been appointed as General Manager for Radisson Collection Resort, Galle , the group’s first Radisson Collection hotel in the Southeast Asia Pacific region. Eduard brings over twenty years of experience to the role, holding senior positions across APAC and Oceania. He most recently served as Managing Director for Rosewood Hotels & Resorts in New Zealand.
Ted Selogie has been named as the new General Manager of New York, Hilton Midtown . Ted has previously held key leadership roles with brands including Marriott International and Accor, joining from Fairmont, Century Plaza in LA where he held the role of General Manager.
Andaz, Tokyo Toranomon Hills has named Thomas Vidal as the new General Manager. Thomas has 16 years of experience in luxury hotel leadership across Asia, including more than 10 years in Japan.
Absolute Hotel Services has announced two key leadership appointments with Darunee Sarimarun taking the role of General Manager of Travelodge, Sukhumvit 11 in Bangkok and K. Orathai Thong-ngam appointed as Area General Manager for Chiang Mai.
Novotel, Sydney Cabramatta has confirmed two key leadership appointments ahead of the planned opening this November. Sam Fakih has been appointed as General Manager, joining from IHG, and Anthony Hoang has taken the role of Director of Sales.
Tarun Bhatia has joined The St Regis, Toronto as Director of Food & Beverage. He has previous experience at leading brands including JW Marriott, Ritz-Carlton and Fairmont, and most recently, Rosewood Hotel, Georgia in Vancouver.
Tracey Carter Knox has been promoted to Commercial Director for Sofitel, Sydney Darling Harbour . She has held the role of Director of Revenue at the flagship property for the past two years.
Indri Halina has joined Anantara, Mina Ras Al Khaimah Resort as the new Director of Marketing. She has previously led marketing for brands including Raffles, Sofitel and Armani, and most recently oversaw brand experience within the private aviation sector.
Hyatt has announced the appointment of Chris Sessions as Director of Sales, Marketing & Events for Wild Dunes Resort, a Destination by Hyatt, located on the Isle of Palms. Chris previously served as Director of Sales & Marketing at the Fairmont Orchid.
Rajat Jaitly has been appointed as Director, Technical Services at Sarovar Hotels . Rajat brings over 17 years of experience in hospitality engineering and project management, having previously worked with brands including Apeejay Group, IHG, and The Grand, New Delhi.
The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai has named Crisdean Porciani as the new Director of Quality. Crisdean brings extensive experience with luxury hotels across Europe and Australia and most recently played a key role in the pre-opening of W, Edinburgh.
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