Randy Parker
Parker named director of sales in Cincinnati CVB
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CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati USA Convention and Visitors Bureau has named Randy Parker its new Director of Sales. In this role, Parker will manage the day-to-day activities of the CVB's Cincinnati and Washington, D.C.-based sales staff, reporting to Barrie Perks, Vice President of Sales and Services.
"The CVB and its partners are coming off of our fourth consecutive year of growth and strong results in hosting and winning major convention business," said Dan Lincoln, President and CEO of the Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau. "This hire underscores our commitment to continue to build on that foundation and position Cincinnati to continue our upward momentum."
 Prior to joining the CVB, Parker served as Vice President of Sales at Nationwide Meetings, where he successfully launched the sales and marketing initiatives for the new meeting brokerage company. Before that, Parker spent 21 years in the hospitality industry, serving as Director of Sales at several high profile properties, including the Fairmont Orchid in Kohala Coast, Hawaii, the Fairmont Hotel in Dallas and Loews Ventana Canyon in Tucson, Arizona.
"Randy brings more than two decades of experience from around the country and a strong track record of sales success," said Lincoln.
A native of Hawaii, Parker earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from Hawaii Pacific College. He and his family are looking forward to the move to Cincinnati, for professional reasons as well as closer proximity to family in the East.
The CVB finished 2009 with contracts representing 198,000 future room nights and $59 million in new visitor spending, both record-setting figures that are up 24 percent over the last four years.
Last year, Cincinnati USA won the 2011 Shrine annual meeting and the highly-coveted 2013 National Fraternal Order of Police convention, and bested more than 50 cities around the globe to win the 2012 World Choir Games in what will be the largest international event in the history of the region. In 2010, the region will host several more high-profile events, including the National Conference of Black Mayors and the annual conference of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers.
"Randy is joining our team at an exciting time for Cincinnati USA," added Lincoln. "Filling this key position adds fuel to the city's positive momentum, generated by progress and development downtown and throughout the region."
The Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau is an aggressive sales, marketing and service organization whose primary responsibility is to positively impact Hamilton County's and the City of Cincinnati's economy through convention, trade show and visitor expenditures. The travel and tourism industry traditionally has been a $3.4 billion industry in Cincinnati USA, employing 81,000 people in a variety of fields and, historically, bringing five million visitors to the region annually.
Bernd Kuhlen
Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay names GM
 HALF MOON BAY, Calif. — Hotel executive Bernd Kuhlen has been named General Manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay and joined the award-winning destination golf and spa resort this month.
Located 23 miles southwest of the San Francisco International Airport, The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay is the only oceanfront resort in the San Francisco Bay area.
Bernd Kuhlen joins The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay from The Ritz-Carlton Golf & Spa Resort, Rose Hall, Jamaica, where he has served since 2005, first as Hotel Manager and then as General Manager. The Ritz-Carlton Golf & Spa Resort, Rose Hall, Jamaica is the only AAA Five-Diamond hotel in Jamaica and is home to multiple restaurants, a large spa, extensive meeting space and the acclaimed White Witch Golf Course.
Prior to 2005, Kuhlen served as Director of Food and Beverage for The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans, featuring three hotels (Maison Orleans, Iberville Suites and The Ritz-Carlton) , a large spa, extensive meeting facilities and, at the time, the only AAA Five-Diamond restaurant in Louisiana.
While at The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans, Kuhlen played an instrumental role in hotel emergency and recovery efforts during and following Hurricane Katrina.
He also has held executive roles at The Ritz-Carlton, Wolfsburg (Germany); The Ritz-Carlton, Palm Beach; The Ritz-Carlton Resort and Spa, San Juan (Puerto Rico); The Hotel Arts, Barcelona (a Ritz-Carlton hotel) and The Ritz-Carlton, Cancun.
Kuhlen's 27 years of industry experience include the opening of six Ritz-Carlton hotels and resorts in the United States, Germany, Egypt, South Korea, Indonesia and Japan, preceded by extensive hospitality education and training in his home country of Germany. He is fluent in English, German and Spanish.
"I am honored and delighted to join the outstanding team at The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay," said Kuhlen. "I look forward to seeing the property continue to set new standards for the resort experience and can think of no more beautiful location to call home."
Set atop a rugged bluff overlooking 50 miles of pristine California coastline, the oceanfront Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay features 261 rooms and suites, an award-winning 16,000-square-foot spa, world class golf on two adjoining courses, extensive meeting space, an acclaimed culinary experience and year-round wine tasting and wine education in ENO.
Scott Blalock
Blalock appointed GM of JW Marriott Indianapolis
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — White Lodging of Merrillville, Ind. is earlier this year announced the appointment of Scott Blalock to Vice President and General Manager of the new JW Marriott Indianapolis.
 A 22-year industry veteran, Blalock brings extensive operational, sales and administrative experience to this landmark property.
He came to White Lodging in 2006 after more than 18 years of service with Marriott International. He began his hospitality career as an entry level manager and went on to hold various positions across multiple Marriott brands throughout the years including Group Sales Manager, General Manager of the Houston Marriott Greenspoint and the Marriott Rancho Las Palmas Resort, as well as regional vice president of lodging management.
Blalock joined White Lodging in 2006 as Regional Vice President for the Chicago/Northwest Indiana area. Wanting to return to once again managing a full service hotel, he accepted his most recent position as General Manager of the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown.
In addition to his position at the hotel, Blalock serves as the Secretary of Indianapolis Downtown, Inc. and is on the board of the Greater Indianapolis Lodging Association.
"We are pleased to have Scott, a seasoned veteran of Marriott convention hotels, become the GM of the most iconic convention hotel in the Midwest. His passion for the customer and his associates will allow us to quickly become the hotel of choice for meeting planners across the country," said Dave Sibley, President and CEO of White Lodging's Hospitality Division.
The unique crescent moon design of the JW Marriott Indianapolis featuring a blue-tint glass curtain wall system will extend the city skyline to the West of downtown next to the White River State Park. With 34-floors and standing 375 feet tall, the JW Marriott Indianapolis tower will be the tallest hotel in Indianapolis, and the largest JW Marriott in the United States. The property also offers over 105,000 square feet of meeting space including one of the world's largest Marriott hotel ballrooms - an enormous Grand Ballroom totaling 40,000 square feet.
Scheduled to open in March 2011, the property will be the city's largest, full-service convention hotel and the heart of the Marriott Place Development. In addition to the JW Marriott Indianapolis featuring 1,005 rooms, the Marriott Place development includes the Indianapolis Courtyard by Marriott Downtown (294 rooms), the Indianapolis Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Downtown (168 rooms), and the Indianapolis SpringHill Suites by Marriott Downtown (156 rooms).
Lina Cantillo
 Cantillo joins NYC & company convention team
NEW YORK — Lina Cantillo was recently named regional director, national accounts for NYC & Company. She was most recently with Millenniums of Manhattan, where she served as director of group sales.
As Regional Director, National Accounts, Cantillo brings more than 14 years of New York City hotel sales experience to the organization, most recently with the Millenniums of Manhatttan where she held various sales and leadership positions (most recently, she was Director of Group Sales).
Her territory is the Northeast and her focus is on meetings business of 150 rooms or more on peak.
NYC & Company is the official marketing, tourism and partnership organization for the City of New York, dedicated to maximizing travel and tourism opportunities throughout the five boroughs, building economic prosperity and spreading the positive image of New York City worldwide.
Robert Schuler
AmericasMart convention center sales name VP
 ATLANTA — Robert D. Schuler has been named vice president in charge of AmericasMart Convention Center Sales, according to Jeffrey L. Portman, Sr., president and chief operating officer of AmericasMart Atlanta and its AMC, Inc. parent entity.
Schuler joins AmericasMart following an eight-year tenure at the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau, where he served as vice president/sales and director of the sales division. Under his sales leadership, ACVB booked 1.8 million convention- and meeting-related hotel rooms and attracted more than 2.8 million visitors to Atlanta annually.
AmericasMart's Convention Center Sales department secures and services conventions, conferences, meetings and special events staged in the 7.2 million-square-foot complex's exhibit halls, theatres and public spaces during non-market periods.
Schuler assumes the Convention Center Sales position from AmericasMart veteran Chas Sydney, senior vice president in charge of area rugs, housing and new business, who continues in those roles and whose new-business responsibilities expand in support of AmericasMart's national and international trade show development.
"Bob's track record speaks for itself. His long and successful sales leadership at ACVB positions him well for our convention center sales mission and helps to sustain the continuity we've achieved under Chas Sydney's direction," Portman said.
Schuler's career spans more than 18 years in sales positions across the hospitality, meetings and conventions spectrum, including sales directorships at the JW Marriott Lenox and Renaissance Atlanta Hotel.
He serves on the executive committee of the Chick-Fil-A Bowl and on the Board of the Hospitality Education Foundation of Georgia. In 2002 and 2007, Shuler served on the Local Organizing Committee for the NCAA Men's Final Four tournament. He is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire with a B.S. in Hotel Administration and resides in Roswell with his family.
Last updated
July 13, 2010 4:05 PM
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