Benchmark Hospitality International has announced the appointment of Keith Poehlman as controller for The Founders Inn and Spa, located in Virginia Beach, Virginia.  Ellen Ruane, Benchmark’s general manager at the property, made the announcement. Keith Poehlman was most recently controller for Tao of Las Vegas, the nation’s highest grossing free standing restaurant and nightclub operation. Prior to this, he served as regional controller for HEI Hotels and later Starwood Hotels when they purchased the company. Mr. Poehlman has previously worked as corporate controller for GF Management of Philadelphia, for Starr Restaurants of Philadelphia, and for Hersha Hospitality of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He began his career as night auditor.

Great Hotels Organisation, the London-based luxury sales and marketing alliance, has announced the appointment of Jeffrey Gan as senior vice president for Asia. In this newly created position, Gan is responsible for developing the GHO brand and demand in Asia and is based at the company’s Asian office in Singapore. Gan brings more than 25 years worth of hospitality and sales and marketing experience to GHO, encompassing several senior roles and head office positions within Hilton, Banyan Tree Resorts, Golden Tulip, Hospitality Marketing Concepts and Meritus Hotels & Resorts. Before joining GHO, Gan served as Vice President Business Development of Pan Pacific Hotels & Resorts in a corporate development role where he was responsible for developing new hotel management contracts in the region.

The Tourism Fair of Romania over March 27-30 brings together more than 300 companies and tour operators from 14 countries for the 19th time, according to the data supplied by the organizers. Thirty percent of the 300 companies come from abroad, most of which from Austria, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey and Hungary. Secretary of State for Tourism Lucia Morariu said that this year the ministry would allocate about 150,000 euros for the tourism fairs organized in Romania.