Adam Heffron
Heffron is general manager at Conrad Washington, DC. Heffron comes from the other side of the United States at Conrad Los Angeles, where he worked as general manager. Before this, Heffron held leadership roles with Hilton Hotels, including general manager for Waldorf Astoria Park City in Utah and hotel manager for Conrad New York Downtown.
Mark Castriota
The Westin Atlanta Gwinnett, scheduled to open spring 2024, named Castriota general manager. Before this, Castriota worked as managing director at Georgia’s JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District, where he served on the opening team in 2021. He also held positions at Loews Hotel Atlanta, Renaissance Atlanta Downtown and Atlanta Marriott Marquis.
Jon Itoga and Tiare Tipota
Itoga is general manager and Tipoti is director of event management at Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa.
Most recently, Itoga worked as assistant vice president of operational finance for Marriott Vacation Worldwide Aqua-Aston, where he worked with 15 properties in Hawaii. He also worked as director of finance for Turtle Bay Resort in Kahuku, Hawaii.
Tipota previously worked across Oahu and Maui as director of sales and marketing for event rental company Accel Events & Tents. Her hospitality career began with Turtle Bay Resort, where she worked for more than 15 years, in roles such as conference concierge, conference service manager and director of catering and convention services.
Alex Lane
Lane is campus general manager for Tetra Hotel, an Autograph Collection Hotel and AC Hotel Sunnyvale Moffett Park. Since summer 2021, Lane worked as campus general manager at Hotel Citrine and AC Hotel Palo Alto. Lane has worked with Marriott International and Hyatt Hotels properties throughout the Bay Area, including AC Hotel Sunnyvale, San Mateo Marriott and Hyatt at Fisherman’s Wharf.
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Jennifer Garner and Bliss Krucas
Garner and Krucas have been promoted at Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau (LRCVB) in Arkansas.
Garner is LRCVB’s senior director of event operations. She previously worked as the organization’s assistant director of event operations. Garner joined LRCVB in 2012 as administrative coordinator at the River Market, and went on to become event coordinator in 2016.
Krucas is director of destination services for LRCVB. She’s moving into her new position after working as senior sales manager. She has spent the greater part of her 20 years in hospitality in Colorado Springs, Colorado, working in roles such as director of sales and marketing for The Mining Exchange, a Wyndham Grand Hotel and senior sales marketing manager for Garden of the Gods Club.
Kate Harth
Cape Resorts has named Harth chief sales and marketing officer for its nine properties in Cape May, New Jersey, and New York’s East End. Previously, Harth worked with Fulcrum Hospitality, where she led its sales and marketing efforts. Before this, she was general manager for The New York Edition. She also worked in leading sales and marketing roles for Marriott International and The Ritz-Carlton properties worldwide.
Iris Junge
Junge is general manager for The Gwen in Chicago. She comes from Allegro Royal Sonesta (formerly Kimpton Hotel Allegro) in Chicago, where she worked in the same capacity; she also worked as the property’s assistant general manager. In her more than 20 years in the industry, Junge has worked with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Hard Rock Hotels & Casinos, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, and InterContinental Hotels.
Chris Gampon
Timbers Kaua’I at Hokuala in Hawaii named Gampon general manager. In his more than 30 years in hospitality, Gampon has held general manager roles across Hawaii, including Kona Bali Kai in Kailua Kona, Banyan Harbor Resort in Lihue, The Point at Poipu, Kiahuna Plantation Resort in Poipu and Aston Hotels’ Kaua’i properties.
Kellie Womack
Womack is dual general manager for AC Hotel Dallas by the Galleria and Residence Inn by Marriott Dallas by the Galleria. Most recently, Womack worked as senior operations manager at Sonder in Dallas. She has worked as general manager for other Texas-based properties, including AC Hotel & Residence Inn by Marriott Dallas/Downtown, Homewood Suites by Hilton Dallas/Downtown and Hilton Garden Inn Frisco.
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Tom Santora and Richard Wales
Santora is chief growth and strategy officer for Coury Hospitality and Wales is general manager for Hotel Vin, Autograph Collection (managed by Coury Hospitality) in Grapevine, Texas.
Santora previously worked as managing director for Hotel Vin and chief commercial officer for Coury Hospitality. Before joining Coury Hospitality, Santora was chief commercial officer for Associated Luxury Hotels and executive chairman for WorldHotels.
Wales most recently worked at The Pendry, Park City in Utah as general manager. Before this, he worked as general manager at The St. Regis Deer Valley in Park City. He also has experience working as hotel manager at 1 Hotel South Beach Miami, director of operations at Claremont Club & Spa, a Fairmont Hotel in Berkeley, California, and nearly a decade with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company.
