Ashford Inc. announced the appointment of Jim Plohg as executive vice president, general counsel, and secretary of Ashford Inc., Ashford Hospitality Trust, Inc., and Braemar Hotels & Resorts Inc. Plohg most recently served the Ashford Group of Companies as division general counsel and managing director, joining the firm in 2014. In his new role, Plohg will oversee all legal, compliance, and regulatory affairs of Ashford Inc., Ashford Hospitality Trust, and Braemar Hotels & Resorts.
Remington Hospitality announced the promotion of Amy Epperson to executive vice president of human resources. In this role, Epperson will report directly to Ben Perelmuter, chief executive officer, and serve as a key strategic partner to the company’s executive leadership team. Read more.
The National, Autograph Collection, announced the appointment of Kyle Lippe as hotel manager. Lippe brings more than 28 years in hospitality and 14 years in executive leadership to the role. He previously worked at The Skirvin Hilton. Throughout his career, Lippe has led full-service hotels and renovations across Oklahoma and the Midwest.
Rio Perdido announced the appointment of Randy Rockbrand as general manager. Rockbrand most recently served as operations manager at Guanacaste’s Hospital San Rafael Arcángel and brings 14 years of industry experience to the role.
Velas Resorts announced the appointment of Barb McCoy as regional sales director. Under the direction of Cynthia Kunz, the company’s senior global sales director of meetings and Incentives, McCoy is responsible for managing sales and events in the MICE industry in the central region of the United States. She previously held leadership roles with luxury hotel brands, including Rosewood, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, and The Ritz-Carlton, and most recently served as senior account manager with Sabre Hospitality.
The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay, announced the appointment of Claudia Martinez as senior catering sales manager. In her new role, Martinez will oversee the planning and execution of bespoke weddings, corporate galas, and social functions across the resort’s indoor and outdoor venues. Martinez joined The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay in 2019 and has held roles of increasing responsibility in group sales and meetings and special events. She most recently served as senior meetings and special events manager.
Grande Lakes Orlando announced the appointment of Danilo “DJ” Tangalin as chef de cuisine of PRIMO, the Mediterranean-Italian restaurant at JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes. Most recently, he served as culinary director for the Taglish FL Collective. He previously held roles at Le Bernardin in New York and Coi in San Francisco.
NEWH, Inc. (Network of Executive Women in Hospitality) announced that Deidre Schwartz will step into the role of international president, effective January 1, 2026, serving the 2026–2027 term. She succeeds Sandy Banks, NEWH, Inc. President from 2024–2025. Schwartz’s career has included leadership roles in development, sales, design management, marketing, and merchandising. Schwartz also runs DS Contract Solutions, representing a curated portfolio of brands across hospitality and adjacent markets.
Four Seasons Resort and Residences Vail announced the appointments of General Manager Jenny Simonson and Resort Manager Anna Folaros. Simonson brings over 23 years of experience to the role; she has worked at Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale and Four Seasons Resort Westlake Village, where she served as the director of finance and later advanced to hotel manager. Before joining Four Seasons, Folaros gained experience across key areas from housekeeping, stewarding, and banquets to front office in hospitality hubs including New Orleans, Chicago, and New York City. She joined Four Seasons Vail in 2024 as director of rooms.
Sprague Pest Solutions announced that Dillon Weaver has been promoted to operations manager for the Fresno, California, branch, and Gustavo Machado has been hired as the second operations manager for the Denver, Colorado, branch. With this new role, Weaver becomes the first person to hold the operations manager role for the Fresno team. He initially joined Sprague in 2022. Earlier this year, he stepped into the branch trainer role. Machado joins the Denver branch as the second operations manager to support expanding growth in Southern Colorado. He brings more than seven years of experience in the pest management industry.
