NEW YORK—Raul Leal will take over as CEO of SH Hotels and Resorts on August 19, parent company Starwood Capital Group said. Leal succeeds Arash Azarbarzin, who is leaving SH Hotels and Resorts to pursue a new opportunity. Azarbarzin had been appointed to the CEO role just six months ago. Leal was previously CEO of Virgin Hotels for a decade until he stepped down in March. He will now oversee several brands underneath the SH umbrella, including 1 Hotels, Treehouse Hotels and Baccarat Hotels and Resorts. All three brands are less than 10 years old. 1 Hotels launched in 2015 as a luxury...

BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS—A Barbadian certified landscape ecologist with a passion for promoting a sustainable environment for all living species is the recipient of the first-ever Caribbean Tourism Organization Scholarship Foundation’s Thomas J. Greenan Scholarship introduced this year for studies in agro/gastronomy-related subjects. Twenty-two-year-old Ramon Robinson will pursue studies in applied horticulture-landscape operations and management at the Houston Community College in the United States. “It is very difficult in this world to carve out a career path for yourself and I am not exempt from any of these challenges, so one can imagine what this help means to me to be able to go...

SANTA MONICA, CALIF.—Shutters on the Beach announced the appointment of Richard Archuleta as Executive Chef of 1 Pico, the iconic Southern California restaurant located at the acclaimed Santa Monica hotel. Bringing over a decade of culinary expertise honed at Michelin-starred restaurants to his new role, Archuleta will lead culinary operations at 1 Pico with a focus on coastal California cuisine and fresh-market fare. “We are excited to welcome Chef Richard Archuleta to our Shutters on the Beach family,” said Charlie Lopez-Quintana, General Manager, Shutters on the Beach. “Richard’s culinary passion, creativity and extensive background will be an incredible asset to 1 Pico. He will serve...

PALMA DE MALLORCA—Iberostar Group has announced the appointment of Erika Harms as Director of Coastal Health in the Group’s Sustainability Office. The global pandemic has demonstrated more than ever, the need for businesses that protect their communities and the environment in which they operate. This is why Wave of Change has allowed Iberostar to lead the road to responsible recovery in the tourism sector, recognized by WTTC, the World Economic Forum, the World Bank, UNWTO, UNEP, among others. In addition to the company’s leading work in Circular Economy and a Responsible Consumption of Seafood, the Mallorcan company’s work in Coastal Health has...

PARIS—Accor announces the appointment of Brune Poirson to the role of Chief Sustainability Officer. Poirson will report directly to Sébastien Bazin, Chairman and CEO, and will become a member of the Executive Committee. Her role will be to define, drive and monitor the commitments, the strategy and the roll-out of the Group’s action plans in terms of sustainable development. She will also be responsible for the Accor Solidarity Foundation and the ALL Heartists Fund. This appointment became effective on May 5, 2021. Sébastien Bazin, Accor Chairman and CEO said: “For more than 25 years, Accor has been at the forefront...

NEW YORK—Highgate, a leading global real estate investment and hospitality management company, recently announced the appointment of Marianne Balfe to Vice President of Sustainability. In this new role, Balfe will be responsible for driving Highgate’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy across the company’s guest experience, construction projects, external reporting, and corporate culture—with the goal of ensuring Highgate remains a leader in sustainable business practices. The hire reflects Highgate’s continued commitment to driving resiliency and sustainability in global hospitality. Balfe’s strategic vision and capability to achieve and maintain strong ESG performance will not only deliver efficiencies, cost savings and other...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—LEO A DALY, the international planning, architecture, engineering and interiors firm, announced the promotion of Kristina Crawley, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, to Vice President, Global Commercial Practice Leader. In this role, Crawley will lead the firm’s commercial and workplace design practice in all matters of business strategy, client management and design delivery worldwide. She is based in Washington, D.C. Crawley is an architect with 17 years of experience leading complex commercial mixed-use, hospitality, retail, restaurant and workplace projects in North America, Asia, and the Middle East. Since 2016, she has served as commercial market sector leader for the Washington,...

LAKE FOREST, ILL.—The first hotel to plant roots in the Lake Forest community in over 92 years, and the world’s first boutique-inspired Hyatt Place property, The Forester, a Hyatt Place Hotel announced that industry veteran Marlena Karwowski has been appointed to lead the new property as General Manager. Hailing from Skaryszew, Poland, Karwowski’s passion for hospitality is unparalleled and has bloomed over two decades in the industry, serving in key roles at properties including Assistant Reservations Manager at Hyatt Regency McCormick Place, Reservations and Communications Manager at Hyatt Regency Chicago, Director of Sales at Hyatt House Evanston, Director of...

NEW YORK—Starwood Capital Group, a global private investment firm focused on real estate and energy, recently promoted Arash Azarbarzin to Chief Executive Officer of its subsidiary company, SH Hotels & Resorts. Azarbarzin succeeds Starwood Capital Chairman and CEO Barry Sternlicht as CEO of SH Hotels & Resorts. Sternlicht will remain Chairman and continue to be involved with the organization. Azarbarzin has more than 30 years of industry experience, including leadership roles at St. Regis Hotels, W Hotels, Four Seasons Hotels, and as Founding Member at SBE hotel group, among others. As President of SH Hotels & Resorts, his strategic vision,...

PENSACOLA, FLA.—Move over Al Gore, Pierce Brosnan and Erin Brockovich. Make room for Myra Moore. Moore, the shipping supervisor at Hy-Lite, has been honored with a prestigious Annual Green Award from Door and Window Market (DWM) magazine. The only individual in the country to be recognized in the 2020 awards program, Moore almost single-handedly established a recycling and reuse program at the privacy window manufacturing company in Pensacola, Fla. Each year, the editors at DWM magazine conduct extensive research to gather and compare information for those striving to make a difference through sustainability. After careful analysis, they chose Moore for...