SH Group appoints four executive hires to new brands
SH Group, Starwood Capital’s hotel brand management company, has announced the appointment of four executive hires to its two new brands, Baccarat Hotels & Resorts and 1 Hotels.
Andrew Turner has been named General Manager of Baccarat Hotel & Residences in New York, opening December 2014. He will oversee the launch and day-to-day operations of the brand’s flagship hotel, located off Fifth Avenue, bringing more than 20 years of luxury hospitality experience to the role.
Prior to joining the Baccarat Hotel team, he was General Manager of Anantara Villas, in Phuket, Thailand. He began his career at The Inter-Continental Sydney in his native Australia and proceeded to work his way up The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. ladder, holding management positions in Australia, the United States, China and Egypt.
Shan Kanagasingham will be New York City Area General Manager for 1 Hotels, a new luxury mission-driven brand debuting early 2015. Kanagasingham brings 20 years of luxury experience to 1 Hotels, where she will oversee leadership and direct daily operations for 1 Hotel Central Park, and 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge Park, opening late 2015, located just south of the Brooklyn Bridge. Prior to joining the 1 Hotels team, Kanagasingham served as the General Manager of The Surrey Hotel, a Relais & Chateaux property located on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
SH Group has also appointed two directors of sales and marketing. Jennifer Rutkowski has been named Area Director of Sales & Marketing for Baccarat Hotels & Resorts, 1 Hotel Central Park and 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge Park. Rutkowski joins 1 Hotels from The London Hotels where she most recently served as Vice President, Sales & Marketing, for the brand’s hotels and restaurants in New York and Los Angeles. In addition to consulting for The Blackstone Group, Rutkowski has held various sales and marketing positions with Morgans Hotel Group, New Castle Hotels, Winfair Hospitality Management, and Renaissance Hotels & Resorts.
Zachary Felter has been named Director of Sales & Marketing for 1 Hotel & Homes South Beach, opening early 2015. He will bring extensive knowledge of the Miami hospitality market to the role. Prior to 1 Hotels, he accelerated from National Sales Manager to Director of Sales at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel where he managed a team of 11, established new programming that successfully met and surpassed sales goals, and created and executed the hotel’s sales budget and plan, adjusting as necessary to meet goals.
Scott Rohm, President of SH Group comments: “Each of these entrepreneurial minded, dynamic and passionate individuals have been chosen for their expertise and contributions to the industry. They will each play an integral role in launching these two very distinct brands in their respective cities and we look forward to celebrating their successes as they champion the vision and philosophies of Baccarat and 1 Hotels.”
