A number of hotels under luxury and upper-upscale flags have appointed general managers in recent weeks. Here are some names to know.
The Botany
The Botany, scheduled to open this winter on St. Thomas with management by Practice Hospitality, has named Cory Santana general manager and Melissa Pope director of sales and marketing.
Santana has more than 25 years of Caribbean hospitality experience, most recently serving as general manager of Secret Harbour Resort in St. Thomas. His background includes leadership positions across Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica, as well as experience guiding resort openings and repositionings.
Field & Stream Bozeman
Field & Stream Bozeman, Mont., appointed Ian Crines as general manager of the debut property from Field & Stream Lodge Co. Crines has more than a decade of hospitality leadership experience and arrives after serving as general manager for Modus Hotels. Before taking the top role at Hotel Hive, he advanced through food-and-beverage, rooms and hotel management positions.
A graduate of Penn State’s hospitality program, Crines began his career at the Nittany Lion Inn and has steadily built a reputation for operational leadership and guest-service excellence. In 2024, Penn State recognized him with its Emerging Professional alumni award, further highlighting a career trajectory that has moved from operational roles to leading one of hospitality’s newest outdoor-focused lodging concepts.
Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta
The Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta has named Pierre Kermanac'h general manager, bringing a veteran Four Seasons executive with more than 22 years of international luxury hospitality experience to the property. Most recently, Kermanac'h was resort manager at Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach, following leadership roles that spanned food-and-beverage operations, rooms, sales and private residences.
A Paris native, Kermanac'h joined Four Seasons in 2004 and built a global career that included assignments in Chicago, Geneva, Paris, Marrakech and Palm Beach. He was promoted to director of rooms at Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris, before becoming resort manager at Four Seasons Resort Marrakech in 2019. His experience across eight Four Seasons properties and three continents positions him to lead one of the brand’s longest-established U.S. hotels.
Hilton San Diego Bayfront
Hilton San Diego Bayfront has appointed Sean Clancy general manager. Clancy joins the waterfront hotel with more than three decades of hospitality leadership experience and a background leading large-scale resort and urban properties. Most recently, he was vice president and general manager of a major San Diego waterfront resort, where he oversaw a significant repositioning effort following a multimillion-dollar renovation.
Throughout his career, Clancy has held senior leadership positions at luxury hotels in Miami Beach, Philadelphia and San Diego. Earlier in his career, he spent eight years with Hilton, serving in leadership roles at Arizona Biltmore and Boca Raton Resort & Club when both operated under the Waldorf Astoria flag. He also has an extensive record of service within San Diego hospitality and community organizations
The Hythe, a Luxury Collection Resort
The Hythe, a Luxury Collection Resort in Vail, Colo., appointed Kevin Shields as general manager.
His background spans luxury hospitality operations, strategic leadership and service-focused management. The resort said Shields' experience working with ownership groups, resort operators and major hospitality brands positions him to oversee the property’s next phase while strengthening its standing among Vail’s luxury mountain resorts.
The Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles and JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE
Following the retirement of Javier Cano, Marriott has named Mark Eberwein general manager of both The Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles and JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE. Eberwein brings more than 20 years of experience leading luxury and lifestyle hotels, as well as deep ties to the Los Angeles tourism community.
Most recently, Eberwein was general manager of SLS Beverly Hills, where he led commercial and operational initiatives that produced record performance metrics. Earlier leadership roles included general manager positions at W Hollywood, W Las Vegas and W Los Angeles–Westwood. Beyond hotel operations, he serves on multiple tourism and lodging-related boards throughout Los Angeles, reinforcing a long-standing connection to the city's hospitality sector.
The Strand Turks & Caicos
The Strand Turks & Caicos has appointed Randall Wilkie general manager, a leader with more than 40 years of experience managing and advising hotels and resorts across the Caribbean and the United Kingdom.
Before joining The Strand, Wilkie was general manager of Sandy Lane Hotel in Barbados. His résumé also includes hospitality consulting work tied to resort openings in Barbados, France and the United Kingdom, as well as leadership roles with Almond Beach Resort, Sandals Resorts, Blue Waters Resort & Spa in Antigua and Cobblers Cove in Barbados. Over four decades, he has built a reputation for people-focused leadership and operational turnarounds across some of the Caribbean’s best-known resorts.