NORTHBROOK, ILL.—UMF Corp. recently announced that Mabel Castro, guestroom attendant (GRA) at the Chicago Marriott Downtown, has earned the company’s third annual Guest Room Attendant Excellence Award. UMF established the GRA Excellence Award in 2020 to acknowledge the crucial role GRAs play in ensuring hotel guest safety, satisfaction, and loyalty in the COVID-19 era. “In the more than 15 years that Mabel has worked for Marriott, she has been recognized countless times by our guests for going above and beyond,” said Chicago Marriott Downtown Director of Services Victoria DeSantis. “She consistently exceeds our guests’ expectations, exuding positive energy, remembering our return...

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, MEXICO—Palmaïa—The House of AïA, a holistic wellness retreat in Rivera Maya, Mexico, known for its transformative Progressive Wellness concept, is excited to share the appointment of Chef Carlos Carrion Garcia, a, pioneer in plant-based food. Better known as “Chef Charly,” he is known for his deep layers of flavor with textures most people would think are impossible to achieve with plants. The addition of Chef Charly to the team will push Palmaïa’s culinary team past the boundaries of healthy food beyond the conventional way of thinking. Chef Charly founded Charly’s Vegan Tacos, in Tulum and Wynwood, Miami. “Charly’s”...

KHANH HOA PROVINCE, VIETNAM—Vu Ngoc Linh, a hospitality professional with over a decade of experience in food and beverage departments, has left the career ladder of the typical restaurant professional to pursue a whole new kind of fulfillment. Earlier this spring, the 580-room Alma Resort on Vietnam’s south-central coast appointed Linh as its first Sustainability Officer. It will be Linh’s job to track the property’s energy consumption, resource conservation, recycling, pollution reduction, waste disposal, transportation, education efforts, and building design. The role also involves creating sustainability programs, budgets, and schedules, evaluating the success of sustainability initiatives, and managing three staff committees...

DALTON, GA.—The Manufacturing Institute—the workforce development and education partner of the National Association of Manufacturers—recently recognized Laura Smith, Director of SIOP (Sales, Inventory and Operations Planning) at Shaw, as a STEP Ahead Award Honoree at its annual awards ceremony. STEP works to foster a 21st-century manufacturing workforce by empowering and inspiring women in the manufacturing industry through recognition, research, and leadership, as well as by motivating alumni to pay it forward by mentoring the next generation. The STEP Ahead Awards honor exceptional women in manufacturing and motivate them to mentor the next generation through an annual awards gala and...

Name: Linda Baynham Title: Director of Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility Convention Center: New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center Years in Current Position: 2 years, 8 months Primary Responsibility: “Right now, it is LEED certification. That is what I have been tasked with this year. It brings together everything we are doing. We are trying to be the green convention center in the region.” Organization’s most significant accomplishment in global corporate responsibility: “I am proud of the energy upgrade we just did.” Organization’s most significant challenge moving forward in global corporate responsibility: “I think getting LEED certification is going to be big. We...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The American Hotel & Lodging Foundation (AHLA Foundation) announced that anti-human trafficking professional Eliza McCoy will join the organization as Vice President of Awareness and Prevention Programs. In this newly created position, McCoy will build on the momentum of the organization’s No Room For Trafficking campaign to ensure every hotel employee is trained to spot and stop trafficking. “I’m thrilled to have Eliza join us at this critical time in our industry as travel begins to resume and anti-trafficking training of our employees is more important than ever,” said Rosanna Maietta, President and CEO of the AHLA Foundation. “Eliza’s depth...

ROCKVILLE, MD.—Choice Hotels International, Inc., one of the world’s largest lodging franchisors, has appointed Megan Brumagim to the newly created role of Vice President of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG). In this new role, Brumagim will lead Choice’s sustainability and corporate social responsibility initiatives, championing the pillars of environmental sustainability, human rights, diversity and inclusion, philanthropic and community engagement, and corporate governance. In addition to furthering the company’s existing mission-driven initiatives—from its key partnerships such as with Operation Homefront to support service members and their families to its industry-leading efforts to enhance opportunities for minority-owned businesses and more—Brumagim will continue...

Names: Sophia Lykke Title: Public Relations & CSR Manager Company: Club Med North America & Caribbean Years in Current Position: 7 months Years with Club Med: Almost 7 years Primary Responsibility: “For me, every week is different, depending on the project. Last week I was in the Dominican Republic looking at possible partnerships. On days working in Miami, I am fortunate to work with all our teams. There is not a typical day, but I am never working alone. I coordinate the collaborations between our teams internally.” Organization’s most significant accomplishment in global corporate responsibility: “There are many things we can cite but our company...

PORTLAND, ORE.—The Nines, A Luxury Collection, Portland, announced Dragan Andrejic as the hotel’s new general manager. In this position, Andrejic is responsible for all aspects of the hotel’s day-to-day operations, long-term success of the hotel in the Portland community and ensuring a superior guest experience. “I am beyond thrilled to welcome a dynamic leader like Dragan to the team at The Nines,” said Dani Stern, Vice President of the Premier Collection—West for Sage Hotel Management, a Sage Hospitality Group company, which operates the hotel. “Dragan brings the expertise and drive to continue to build on the prestigious reputation of The...

SANTA FE, N.M.—Bishop’s Lodge, Auberge Resorts Collection announces the appointment of Pablo Peñalosa as Executive Chef. Chef Peñalosa, who has more than a dozen years of culinary and Michelin star restaurant experience, will establish an elevated experience at the property’s signature restaurant, SkyFire, that redefines “New Mexican cuisine” and takes family recipes and locally sourced ingredients to new heights. The culinary offerings will present a global perspective that ties in techniques and flavors discovered during his time living in Mexico and Spain, while nurturing the connection between the land, ingredients, makers and farmers to the hotel guests and community in a...