Meeting News - October 19, 2009 - (Page 23)

Meeting People By Michael B. Baker & Chris Davis Hilton Names Vanderslice, Svendsen To Top Sales, Development Posts worked with vacation program development and sales for Disney’s tour companies and served as vice president of worldwide travel operations and in-marHilton Worldwide in late September ket sales for the Disneyland Resort. announced that John Vanderslice, a forBrown said Svendsen’s “vast global mer Club Med CEO, had joined the comexperience and past successes in our pany to lead development of its luxury industry will serve to further energize and lifestyle brands. our industry-leading sales Earlier last month, and customer care platHilton also welcomed a forms, helping deliver connew senior vice president tinued growth opportunities of global brands and comfor our brands.” mercial services: former Vanderslice, now global Walt Disney Co. executive head of luxury and lifestyle Kenneth Svendsen, who brands, comes to Hilton now heads Hilton’s worldfrom Miraval Spa in Tucson, wide group, corporate and Ariz., where he was CEO. leisure sales as well as Prior to his work at third-party distribution, Miraval, Vanderslice served voice reservations and as president and CEO of customer care. Club Med Americas, leading Both Svendsen and North and South American Vanderslice report to operations for more than Hilton president of global Kenneth Svendsen 100 leisure resorts in 30 brands and commercial countries. While at Club services Paul Brown. Svendsen, a Denmark native, comes to Med, Vanderslice repositioned the resorts as upscale destinations and inteHilton following several travel-related grated corporate marketing, commercial roles at Disney, most recently as senior vice president of worldwide travel opera- activities, finance and operations. The appointments come at the tail end tions and consumer direct sales for of a summer of changes for Hilton. The Disney Destinations. He previously company recently completed moving its headquarters from Beverly Hills, Calif., to Tysons Corner, Va. Hilton subsequently changed its name from Hilton Hotels Corp. to Hilton Worldwide to better reﬂect the company’s global footprint. Coffey, Espinoza To Head Harrah’s Meetings Regional Sales Las Vegas Meetings by Harrah’s Entertainment, the entity governing meeting sales at seven Harrah’s properties, named former Riviera Hotel and Casino sales executive Ed Coffey and Harrah’s sales veteran Patrick Espinoza its directors of sales in its Eastern and Western regions, respectively. Coffey and Espinoza each oversee a team of 16 sales managers and are responsible for the meeting sales Ed Coffey efforts for all seven Harrah’s Las Vegas properties, which include Bally’s, Caesars Palace and Paris Las Vegas. Coffey’s nearly 30 years of hospitality sales experience also include stints at several Hilton properties. Espinoza, a Patrick Espinoza seven-year Harrah’s veteran, was promoted from a national sales manager role at three Harrah’s properties. The pair also will be responsible for sales at the Flamingo, the Imperial Palace, Harrah’s and the Rio. r Dolce Names Carol Bullock-Walter To New Sales Post Hotel and conference center operator Dolce Hotels and Resorts last month named Carol Bullock-Walter, a former sales executive with New York’s Marshall Hotel Group and Starwood Hotels and Resorts, to the new role of vice president of ﬁeld sales. Bullock-Walter, who will report to Dolce chief revenue ofﬁcer Peter Strebel, will be responsible for driving shortterm bookings, improving the proﬁtability of the company’s managed properties, helping to implement new sales training, reviewing property-level sales goals and helping to instill a consistent sales culture across the company. The move is the latest in Dolce’s evolution from a pure conference-center chain to an integrated hospitality company that also operates full-service hotels. r Carol Bullock-Walter Please e-mail meetings industry personnel announcements to cdavis@meetingnews.com. www.meetingnews.com October 19, 2009 MeetingNews 23 http://www.meetingnews.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Meeting News - October 19, 2009

Meeting News - October 19, 2009
Contents
Meeting Post
Meetings Spotlight
Event Profile
Construction Cites
Meeting People
Association Watch
VantagePoint
Gaming Destinations
Dateline: Florida
South Regional
Dateline: Guadalajara
Travel Dashboard

Meeting News - October 19, 2009