Illinois
- Kimpton’s Hotel Burnham in Chicago named Duncan Clements general manager, where he will oversee all operations. Clements is returning to Chicago, where he previously worked as assistant general manager of the Hotel Monaco Chicago. He also served as general manager of Kimpton’s Hotel Lumen in Dallas. Prior to joining Kimpton, Clements traveled the globe with InterContinental Hotels, holding a variety of management positions in major cities such as London, Abu Dhabi, Cleveland and Budapest.
- The director of a civic center in east-central Ohio was hired as the new director of the Salina Bicentennial Center. Marshall P. Perry, of Cambridge, Ohio, took over the post in December, replacing Keith Rawlings, who retired after managing the facility since 1995. Perry previously worked as the managing director of the Pritchard Laughlin Civic Center in Cambridge, Ohio, and as the executive director of the Township Auditorium in Columbia, S.C. The Bicentennial Center can host everything from concerts to trade shows and meetings and conventions.
- CSM Lodging, a Minneapolis-based company that works with hotel development and operations, appointed Joel Carver vice president of sales and marketing. Carver has extensive experience in sales and marketing within the hospitality industry. Prior to joining CSM, Carver was the senior vice president of sales and marketing for Vizergy, a hospitality-focused Internet marketing company based in Jacksonville, Fla. Before Vizergy, Carver served as assistant vice president of sales and marketing for B.F. Saul Company, a hotel development and management firm based in Bethesda, Md. In his new role, Carver will oversee and lead CSM Lodging’s existing sales, marketing and revenue management teams… Carlson Hotels Worldwide, based in Minnetonka, named Aurora Toth vice president of marketing for the Country Inns & Suites by Carlson Operating Company. Toth will be responsible for managing all agency relationships, advertising, promotions, interactive marketing and all marketing through loyalty programs for Country Inns & Suites by Carlson. Toth brings more than 20 years of marketing experience to Carlson Hotels Worldwide, encompassing several corporate leadership roles as well as consultant work on customer insight and marketing strategies for startup companies and agency clients. Prior to her most recent work as a consultant, Toth served as vice president of marketing for Christopher & Banks Corp.… Shelly Irrgang was hired as vice president of sales for Radisson Hotels & Resorts, the Americas, and Lynn Messman was named senior director of sales for Country Inns & Suites by Carlson. Irrgang is responsible for leading the sales team in the Americas for Radisson Hotels & Resorts. Prior to this new position, Irrgang served as vice president of sales and marketing for Regent Hotels & Resorts and Carlson Managed Hotels & Resorts. In her more than 20 years of experience with Carlson Hotels Worldwide, Irrgang has held various positions, including director of revenue management for Radisson, district director for the Northeast U.S. and Eastern Canada and corporate rooms manager for the Western U.S. Most recently, Messman served as senior director of revenue development for Country Inns & Suites by Carlson and Radisson Hotels & Resorts. In her 14 years of experience with Carlson Hotels Worldwide, Messman has held various positions, including director of hotel sales development and director of national sales. Prior to moving to the corporate office, she held various positions within Country Inns & Suites hotels, including director of sales positions as well as general manager for the Country Inn & Suites by Carlson, Plymouth, and the Country Inn & Suites by Carlson, Bloomington Mall of America, Bloomington.
- The Abbey Resort & Avani Spa, located on the shores of Lake Geneva, hired Michael Lucero as director of operations. Lucero will oversee all food and beverage operations for the resort’s on-site restaurants and lounges as well as all banquet operations. Previously, Lucero served as general manager and regional vice president for several House of Blues venues, including the live music hall in Chicago, where he oversaw all operations and guest services. Prior to that position, Lucero was the food and beverage director at Lake Geneva’s Grand Geneva Resort and Spa. He was also corporate sales manager for the Mission Point Resort in Mackinac Island, Minn., and began his hospitality career at the Broadmoor Hotel & Resort in Colorado Springs, Colo.