Four hotels appoint sales, marketing leaders

Hotels in Texas, Florida, New York and Hawaii appointed sales and marketing leaders in recent weeks. Here are some names to know.

Crowne Plaza Dallas Downtown by IHG

Universal Hospitality Solutions has appointed two sales leaders for the Crowne Plaza Dallas Downtown by IHG. Maya Jareou will lead the hotel’s sales team as senior director of sales, and Cathy Gilbert will serve as associate director of sales. 

Maya Jareou most recently was director of global conferences and client experience at Aspire, a global health and wellness company. Her DFW market experience also includes serving as senior event and sales manager at The Joule, among other hospitality-related management opportunities. Jareou is an active participant in the DFW chapter of WIPA (Wedding Industry Professionals Association); Southlake Chamber of Commerce; and North Texas CVBs in Dallas, Irving, and Grapevine. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing from Örebro University in Sweden and has received professional training and certifications in contract negotiations, executive leadership, advanced sales and hospitality management.

With 24 years of hospitality experience, including 12 years in the DFW market, Cathy Gilbert joins Crowne Plaza Dallas Downtown as associate director of sales with a focus on group business, including the Social, Military, Educational, Religious, and Fraternal groups segment. Gilbert studied business management at The University of Texas at Arlington and received certifications in revenue management and sales.

Grove Resort & Water Park

The Grove Resort & Water Park in Orlando appointed Sharon L. Rodríguez Director of Marketing. During her nine-year tenure at Walt Disney World Parks & Resorts, she spearheaded impactful marketing campaigns that expanded the company’s reach across both domestic and international markets.

Rodríguez has also held key leadership roles with Rentyl Resorts, Margaritaville Resort Orlando, Encore Resort Orlando, Karisma Hotels, Caribe Royale Orlando, Davidson Hospitality, and—most recently—Remington Hospitality, where she served on the marketing & digital strategy team. 

InterContinental New York Barclay Hotel

Matthew Davis is the new director of sales & marketing at the InterContinental New York Barclay Hotel (known as The Barclay), owned by 111 East 48th Street Holdings and managed by IHG. 

Davis joined InterContinental New York Barclay in 2017 as director of business travel & luxury leisure sales, later becoming director of sales in 2020. 

Davis holds a degree in Hotel Management from Plymouth College United Kingdom and a Certificate of Professional Development from the Global Leadership Program at the Wharton School of Business of the University of Pennsylvania. He began his hospitality career in 1991 and has held key leadership roles including regional account director, global account director for North America, director of corporate sales and director of corporate & group sales. He has worked for Millennium Hotels and Resorts in London and Los Angeles, Jumeirah Essex House, and more.

Ritz-Carlton O‘ahu, Turtle Bay

In Hawaii, The Ritz-Carlton O‘ahu, Turtle Bay has appointed two industry veterans to key leadership roles: Christina Richardson joins as director of sales, group & catering; while Yvonne Biegel takes the helm as director of marketing. 

Richardson returns to Turtle Bay, where she previously held a leadership role when the property was known as the Turtle Bay Resort. She previously held leadership roles at Grand Hyatt Deer Valley, Carmel Valley Ranch and Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa. 

Biegel joined The Ritz-Carlton O‘ahu, Turtle Bay earlier this summer as the property’s director of marketing. Biegel has developed and executed marketing strategies for luxury beach resorts for the Waldorf Astoria’s Grand Wailea, Four Seasons Resorts Hawaii, The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, Conrad Punta de Mita and Hilton Los Cabos.