A number of hotels, including two in Denver, have appointed new GMs. Here are some names to know.
AC Hotel by Marriott Wichita Downtown
The AC Hotel by Marriott Wichita (Kan.) Downtown appointed Akash Timilsina general manager. Before joining AC Hotel by Marriott Wichita Downtown, Timilsina was general manager at the Hampton Inn Wichita Airport. He has also held leadership positions with Four Points by Sheraton in Houston and Marriott International in Burlington, Vt., as well as a dual-property leadership role with Marriott International and Best Western in Kansas City.
Timilsina also brings international management experience from his tenure in Sydney, Australia, where he oversaw multiunit operations and developed outreach programs. The AC Hotel by Marriott Wichita Downtown is owned by Spartan Downtown and managed by Greenwood Hospitality, a partner of Hotel Equities.
Albert Hotel
Juan Flores is the new general manager of the Albert Hotel in Fredericksburg, Texas.
Flores' 27-year career spans luxury hotel operations with Omni Hotels, a 23-year tenure with Valencia Hotel Group and recent leadership roles with White Lodging. He has overseen 11 hotel openings throughout his career.
Aurora Anguilla Resort & Golf Club
The Aurora Anguilla Resort & Golf Club appointed Sean Robertson its new general manager. With over 25 years of global hospitality experience, Robertson has worked with international hotel groups and cruise liners, specializing in food & beverage operations.
He joins Aurora Anguilla from launching the Crowne Plaza Nadi Bay Resort in Fiji. He has held senior management roles in Australia with IHG’s Intercontinental Sanctuary Cove—where he supported the Hayman Island resort—and with Mulpha International.
Clayton Hotel & Members Club
Makeready has appointed Colter Hocking general manager for the Clayton Hotel & Members Club in Denver’s Cherry Creek neighborhood.
Hocking has more than 15 years of hospitality leadership in operations, food-and-beverage and guest-experience roles. Most recently, Hocking was general manager of Catbird Hotel in Denver. Before that, he held leadership roles at Makeready, including director of operations at Halcyon.
Populus Denver
Manfred Steuerwald has been appointed general manager of Populus Denver. Raised just outside Vienna, Austria, Steuerwald took his first job washing dishes in a local restaurant after school. He worked in kitchens across Germany and South Africa and later joined the opening team of the Royal Viking Queen cruise ship.
In 1998, Steuerwald joined Hyatt as a sous chef at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cayman. He later became executive chef at the Grand Hyatt Kauai and Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego before working as director of food and beverage in San Diego and director of operations at Hyatt Regency Denver before being tapped to lead Hyatt Regency Calgary—20 years after his earlier tenure there—as general manager. He went on to work as general manager of Everline Resort & Spa, a Destination by Hyatt property in Olympic Valley, Calif., and most recently, at Grand Hyatt Seattle.
Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis
Anne Marie Doyle is the new general manager of The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis. Originally from Dublin, Ireland, Doyle began her career in the U.K. with Swallow Hotels and later held roles at Cliveden House and The Shelbourne. In 2013, Doyle moved to the U.S. with The Ritz-Carlton brand, helping to reopen The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage. She later transitioned to The Ritz-Carlton, Santa Barbara, where she led the hotel through a repositioning and renovation. In 2018, she joined Montage International at the Montage Laguna Beach.
In 2023, Doyle became the first female general manager within the Pendry Hotels and Resorts portfolio. She has served on the board of the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
The Seaport Hotel
The Seaport Hotel in Boston’s Seaport District appointed Todd Gagnon its new general manager.
Gagnon most recently was resort manager at Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club in Brewster, Mass., where he led a team of more than 600 associates. His previous leadership roles include general manager and operations positions at Omni Hotels in Tempe, Ariz.; Indianapolis; Houston; and Providence, R.I.
Shangri-La Toronto
The Shangri-La Toronto appointed Ashwin Mathur general manager. Mathur has been with Shangri-La Toronto since 2021, most recently as hotel manager, where he oversaw operations in rooms, food & beverage, security and engineering, while leading initiatives in revenue optimization, marketing and talent development.
Mathur’s career includes senior roles with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts in Mumbai, Vietnam, the Maldives, Dallas and Toronto; as well as leadership positions at Dusit Thani Maldives and Starwood Hotels & Resorts. His international experience has included pre-openings, brand conversions and operational leadership.
Surety Hotel
The Surety Hotel, a member of Marriott’s Autograph Collection in Des Moines, Iowa, appointed Irvin Dinkel general manager.
Dinkel most recently was general manager of The Ryder Hotel in Charleston, S.C., where he oversaw a major renovation. He held leadership roles at Hotel Heron in Alexandria, Va.; Detroit Foundation Hotel in Detroit; The Alida Hotel in Savannah, Ga; Halcyon Hotel in Denver; and multiple Ritz-Carlton properties.