Stephane Lacroix, General Manager, Downtown LA Proper Hotel.
Karin Kopano, Cristiano Buono, and Stephane Lacroix join the rapidly expanding Proper Hospitality team in Santa Monica, Austin and Downtown LA.
LOS ANGELES, CA – Proper Hospitality announces the appointments of Karin Kopano, Cristiano Buono, and Stephane Lacroix as General Managers of Santa Monica Proper Hotel, Austin Proper Hotel & Residences, and Downtown LA Proper Hotel, respectively. The high-end lifestyle brand is debuting these long-awaited properties starting with Santa Monica Proper Hotel in May, followed by Austin Proper Hotel & Residences and Downtown Los Angeles Proper Hotel in June.
Kopano, Buono, and Lacroix have all played instrumental roles in opening various luxury properties around the world. As General Manager of Santa Monica Proper Hotel, Austin Proper Hotel & Residences, and Downtown LA Proper Hotel, they will be responsible for pre-opening planning as well as oversight and management of the operational aspects of the hotels. They will lead strategic planning, operations, guest engagement and brand management.
“Karin, Cristiano, and Stephane are all world-class hospitality veterans who have had great success opening and operating renowned luxury and lifestyle hotel properties, which will prove invaluable as we debut three flagship Proper-branded hotels this summer," said Brian De Lowe, President and Co-Founder of Proper Hospitality. “Their appointments come at a crucial time as we transition Proper from a single hotel to a high-end luxury lifestyle brand.”
Karin Kopano – Area General Manager, Santa Monica Proper Hotel
Kopano is an expert in opening hotels, branding and building a strong hospitality focused employee culture, and managing property operations. She will serve as Area General Manager at Santa Monica Proper Hotel, the first high-end lifestyle hotel to open in Santa Monica in two decades. The 271-room project fuses a circa-1928, Arthur E. Harvey designed Spanish Colonial Revival building with sleek, new construction to create the city’s freshest, most invigorating luxury hotel. Chefs Jessica Koslow (chef/owner of Sqirl) and Gabriela Camara (restaurateur/ chef of Contramar) are coming together for the first time to oversee the ground floor restaurant.
Most recently, Kopano was the General Manager at Hotel 50 Bowery in New York City where she led all aspects of the hotel’s pre-opening including budget, project management, design, branding, culture development and owner relations. She has held various positions at esteemed companies such as Morgan’s Hotel Group, Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, Two Roads Hospitality, Baron’s Cove, and Gansevoort Hotels. She is passionate about developing young talent and was part of the Women’s Leadership Committee with Two Roads Hospitality and created a management training program to mentor aspiring hospitality professionals during her time with Gansevoort Hotel. In June 2018, Kopano was awarded General Manager of the Year by Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) at the 25th Annual Frank W. Berkman Tourism Achievement Award Dinner. Kopano was born in Istanbul, Turkey and attended Florida International University’s hospitality management program.
Cristiano Buono – General Manager, Austin Proper Hotel & Residences
An industry veteran with more than two decades of international experience, Buono brings a deep understanding of working effectively with teams from many cultures, a hands-on-approach and a passion for luxury and lifestyle experiences to Austin Proper Hotel & Residences. The 32-story modern high rise will consist of 244 hotel rooms and suites, 99-luxury Proper-branded-for-sale residences, three restaurants, two bars, an outdoor lounge, two elevated swimming pools, a full-service spa and wellness facility and meeting space. The brand tapped Austin locals Larry McGuire and Tom Moorman of McGuire Moorman Hospitality to oversee the property’s food and beverage offerings.
Buono has held various leadership positions in residential and hotel management both domestically and internationally at properties such as The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Miami Beach, The Ritz-Carlton Club, Aspen Highlands, The Ritz-Carlton Abama, The Waikiki EDITION, and most recently, The New York EDITION. In his new role as General Manager at Austin Proper Hotel & Residences, Buono will focus on guest engagement, oversee the operational aspects of the hotel and lead a high performing and talented staff to inspire them to honor the PROPER culture and push them provide outstanding levels of service. Buono holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the Hotel Management School IPAS and speaks English, French, Spanish, German, and Italian fluently.
Stephane Lacroix – General Manager, Downtown LA Proper Hotel
Lacroix boasts over twenty years of hospitality experience encompassing food and beverage operations and hotel openings and joins the team as General Manager of Downtown LA Proper Hotel. The hotel is situated in a landmark, Curlett & Beelman designed 1926 red-brick building at 11th and Broadway, just a few blocks away from the iconic Orpheum Theatre. It will feature 148 guest rooms, two restaurants, bars, two unique presidential suites (a Pool Suite and a Basketball Court Suite) as well as a rooftop with restaurant, bar and swimming pool. Driving local flavors to the hotel, the team appointed Caroline Styne and Suzanne Goin, the legendary James Beard Award-winning L.A. restaurateurs known for a.o.c., Lucques, Tavern, and The Larder, who will oversee all Food & Beverage offerings at the hotel.
Most recently, Lacroix was Executive Assistant Manager at the Forbes Travel Guide Five-star rated Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, where he oversaw all food & beverage operations as an integral part of the hotel’s opening team for their first West Coast property. Previously, he has held positions at Baccarat Hotel in New York City, The Beverly Hills Hotel, Hotel Bel-Air, The New York Palace, The Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco, The Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, the Hotel de Paris in Monte-Carlo, the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C. and the Ritz in Paris. Lacroix has contributed to multiple Food & Wine Events with Gourmet Magazine and appeared on the Independent Lodging Congress panel at its fourth annual gathering of the industry’s leading hospitality professionals in NYC.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
