More than 200 people attended the recent memorial of Albert Schnell, who passed away
in Toronto on August 23 at the age of 83. Born and raised in Zurich,
Switzerland, Albert followed his great passion for cooking and quickly rose to
become a world-renowned chef. He was blessed with an illustrious 50-year career
in the culinary field, of which the last 45 years were with Hilton
International in Montreal and then Toronto. At the age of 28, he became executive chef at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel and four years later was appointed
as corporate executive chef of Hilton Canada, the position he held until his
retirement from Hilton Toronto in 2000. Albert was fondly referred to as 'Papa
Schnell' by those who worked with him over the years. He was a mentor to many
in all corners of the world.
Curtis
Osekowsky has joined Choice Hotels International as vice-president of franchise services. He has more than
20 years of industry experience. Most recently, he served as regional vice
president of operations at Radisson Hotel Group, where he oversaw the
performance of Radisson branded hotels throughout the United States, Costa Rica
and Panama. Earlier in his career, Osekowsky held various leadership positions
related to operations, revenue management and sales. He earned his bachelor’s
degree from New Mexico State University and Master of Business Administration
from Liberty University.
Katie Sheridan joins CMA Purchasing after more than 29
years at Marriott International, Inc. As a procurement professional at
Marriott, she managed high-profile projects involving FF&E for custom new
build, renovation and conversion projects, coordinating all contracts and
processes to ensure on-time delivery and installation for hotel
openings. “I have a passion for the hospitality industry and am looking
forward to leveraging my years of purchasing experience working with the CMA
team to service this important and growing segment of their business,” she said.
Associated Luxury Hotels (ALH), a leading global
hospitality and revenue generation company for more than 600 independent
hotels, resorts and hotel groups across 50 countries, is pleased to announce
the promotion of Liz Adams to vice president marketing of the Americas.
In
her new role, Adams will oversee the company’s marketing, public relations,
promotions, partnerships, and industry leading customer events to further
enhance the Associated Luxury Hotels brand and overall revenue delivery in the
Americas. Adams is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh,
where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Business
Administration. She will continue to report to Josh Lesnick, president and CEO
of Associated Luxury Hotels, and will be based out of the company’s new
headquarters in Boston, MA.
Murray Lowe has been chosen to lead the Westin Resort &
Spa, Whistler team as its new general manager, following the retirement of Tony
Cary-Barnard at the end September. Lowe has worked for
Marriott International and Evolution Hospitality for 33 years in operations and
food and beverage positions. For the last four years Lowe served as General
Manager of the Warner Center Marriott, Woodlands, CA and immediately prior he
spent seven years as the general manager of the 370-room Marina del Ray
Marriott. Lowe previously held
both board and executive roles with Los Angeles Tourism, Los Angeles Tourism
Marketing Committee, Marina del Ray Convention and Visitors Bureau and
Marriott's Los Angeles Business Council.
Tony Cary-Barnard was GM of the Westin Resort
& Spa, Whistler for seven years. He started his career with Westin in Toronto and held several
operations and asset management senior roles at the GM and VP
levels with O’Neill Hotels & Resorts, SilverBirch Hotels & Resorts and Fairmont Hotels & Resorts in various city and resort markets across
Canada. Cary-Barnard served on the Board of Directors of the Hotel Association of Whistler, the Jasper Park Chamber of
Commerce, the Okanagan-Similkameen Tourism Association and the Alberta
Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA).