hospitalitystyle.com

(July 2009) posted on Mon Jul 13, 2009 EDT

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HIRINGS/PROMOTIONS:

Hilton Hotels Corp. has promoted Andrew Flack to the newly created post of vice president of global brand marketing.

Brinker International Inc. (Dallas) has promoted Kelli Valade to chief operating officer for its Chili's Grill & Bar and On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina units.

Azamara Cruises has hired Larry Pimentel for the newly created position of president and ceo of the Royal Caribbean brand. Pimentel was previously ceo of Seadream Yacht Club.

OBITUARY:

Isle of Capri Casinos Inc. announced that founder and board chairman Bernard Goldstein passed away on July 5, 2009.

OPENINGS/RENOVATIONS AND BRAND NEWS:

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has opened the 95-room Holiday Inn Express and Suites in Largo, Fla. The $11 million property is the 100th Holiday Inn Express to open this year.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. announces the opening of the 421-room Four Points by Sheraton Kuching in Malaysia. The property, developed and owned by Global Upline Sdn. Bhd, is the first Four Points local in Southeast Asia.

Hilton Hotels Corp. has opened the 180-room Hilton Garden Inn in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the first representative of that brand in the Middle East/Africa.

AWARDS:

Roger Thomas, executive vice president design for Wynn Design and Development, will receive the 2009 Sarno Lifetime Achievement Award for his achievements in casino resort interior design at the Global Gaming Expo later this year.

HELPING OUT:

R.W. Smith & Co. announced it will donate $150,000 to the hospitality schools of five Western U.S. educational institutions during the next five years. The recipient schools are: Cal Poly Pomona - Collins College of Hospitality Management; University of San Francisco - School of Business Administration/Hospitality; San Diego State University - School of Hospitality and Tourism Management; California School of Culinary Arts, Pasadena, Calif.; and Orange Coast Community College - Culinary Arts Program, Costa Mesa, Calif.

Volunteers from Hampton Hotels' Save-A-Landmark program have helped refurbish the 101-year-old Atlas Theatre in Cheyenne, Wyo.

ASSOCIATIONS:

Architectural Systems Inc. (New York), an international distributor of architectural materials, announced that president Nancy Jackson has been sworn in for her second term on the board of IIDA (International Interior Design Association) NY. Jackson is also resuming her position as IIDA Hospitality Forum co-director, along with Christine McGinnis of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.