Paul Tormey, Regional Vice President, Northeastern U.S. and Bermuda is pleased to announce the appointment of Leonard S. Czarnecki to General Manager of Fairmont Pittsburgh. Mr. Czarnecki brings more than 18 years of experience, at some of the world’s most notable properties, to this position. As general manager, Mr. Czarnecki will manage the grand opening and operation of Fairmont Pittsburgh. Prior to this position, Mr. Czarnecki was hotel manager at The Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston where he directed the operation of one of the city’s most prominent hotels. While is Boston, he was active in the city’s hospitality community as part of the Massachusetts Lodging Committee’s Education Committee. And, Mr. Czarnecki directed the efforts of the Fairmont Copley Plaza’s environmental committee. No stranger to landmark hotels, before his work in Boston, Mr. Czarnecki was hotel manager at The Plaza in New York. While in New York, Mr. Czarnecki also held management positions at The Regency, The Hilton New York, The Waldorf=Astoria and New York Renaissance Hotel. Mr. Czarnecki began his career as a rooms division intern at the Hyatt Regency Hilton Head in South Carolina.

Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, a collection of boutique hotels and chef-driven restaurants in the US and Canada, announced that veteran hotelier Marco Eduar Scherer has been appointed general manager of the 113-room Vero Beach Hotel & Spa, formerly Vero Beach Hotel & Club. The AAA four-diamond award-winning oceanfront boutique hotel in Vero Beach, Fla became the 43rd property in the Kimpton family on Nov. 11. In his role, Scherer will be responsible for overseeing the hotel’s transformation to a friendly Kimpton hotel, rich in character and brimming with warmth. He will manage the day-to-day operations behind implementing some of Kimpton’s most iconic guest experiences, including “Guppy Love” – goldfish companions upon request, hosted evening wine hour, fluffy leopard and zebra print robes and welcoming living-room-style lobbies. He will also be responsible for overseeing the completion of the on-site spa slated for fall 2009. Scherer joins the Vero Beach Hotel & Spa from Hotel Madera, an 82-room Kimpton hotel in Washington, D.C., where he served as the general manager for nearly three years. With more than 15 years experience, Scherer also worked as the general manager of the Royal St. Charles Hotel in New Orleans and as assistant general manager for the Hotel Monaco in Chicago, also a Kimpton hotel.

The Caribbean Hotels and Tourism Association (CHTA) has named David Callaghan the Allied Member of the Year for his ongoing support of the Caribbean hospitality industry. Callaghan, as Vice President of Resort Sales and Service for Interval International, has been a long standing member of CHTA and has been involved in a number of activities in support of the association including:
- Assistance in the creation and launch of the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Investment Conference.
- Ongoing assistance in planning and programs for the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Investment Conference.
- Ongoing overall support of the CHTA meeting and conference programs.
- Initiating a Strategic Partnership Agreement between Interval International and with CHTA in 2001.
- Ongoing financial support as a major supporter of the CHTA Education Foundation.