From leadership moves to acquisitions, we round up the latest organizational updates from design practices and hotel companies.
The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) has appointed Kevin Carey as interim president and CEO. Carey succeeds William “Chip” Rogers, who resigned at the beginning of March. “The association is in capable hands,” says AHLA board chair Kevin Jacobs. “Kevin’s deep knowledge of AHLA’s operations and his relationships with hospitality stakeholders throughout the industry make him the right leader for AHLA during this transition.” Carey will also continue in his role of senior executive vice president and COO (which he has served since 2017).
KTGY (which acquired Simeone Deary Design Group led by Lisa Simeone and Gina Deary in 2021) is foraying into residential interiors. The expansion comes with the opening of a 15,000-square-foot office in Washington, DC, which unites the firm’s interiors and architecture teams under one roof. At the helm of the new practice is associate principal Carrie Tolman, an interior designer with 25 years of experience, including 12 years with the studio. In addition, KTGY hired Palm Beach-based Holly Nixon as associate principal to grow its presence in Florida.
London-headquartered interior design firm 15o8 has named Scott Miller regional director of North America. Miller joins the company from AvroKO, where he had been global director of development since 2016. “Having long admired the quality and creativity of 15o8’s projects, I am truly honored to join the firm and lead the talented teams in New York, Miami, and Los Angeles,” says Miller. “While 15o8 may currently be somewhat under the radar in the U.S., the firm is held in high regard internationally and I believe our active projects with partners such as the Cipriani family, Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, and SHVO, and the global lens with which we’re designing them, sets the tone for the caliber of work we’re capable of and I’m excited to showcase our capabilities to a new audience here domestically.”
Family-owned hospitality company Noble House Hotels & Resorts has acquired the Chatham Inn Relais & Châteaux on Cape Cod. “We have long admired the Chatham Inn Relais & Châteaux for their flawless reputation and impeccable guest experience,” says Noble House CEO James Colee. “We are so proud to enter a partnership with owners Kayla and Jeff.” The new addition brings Noble House’s portfolio to 24 properties total.
V Starr, the Florida-based design firm founded by Venus Williams, has promoted Sonya Haffey to CEO. With 15 years of experience as the studio’s principal, Haffey will continue to oversee strategic business decisions and stakeholder communications in her new role. Additionally, the company recently hired Enrique Vela as principal and director of strategy. These leadership changes coincide with the rollout of V Starr’s refreshed brand image, which emphasizes its mission to nourish the mind, body, and soul through design.
The Santiago, Chile office of dash design has named Kimberly Briolini as design director. Briolini joins dash design from Emerge Developments (also in Santiago), where she served as a principal, overseeing projects and spearheading the development of product lines. “We are very excited to launch our Santiago, Chile studio with Kimberly at the helm,” says David Ashen, president of dash design. “It has long been a dream of mine to have dash design expand to my second home. With Kimberly leading the Santiago studio, we look forward to a very successful expansion into the Latin American market.”
Global firm Perkins&Will is expanding its presence in Texas with the opening of a San Antonio studio (which joins existing offices in Dallas, Austin, and Houston). The new location will be under the leadership of Adrianna Swindle, who oversees cultural, civic, corporate, and commercial practices, along with Omar Cantu, who leads the health practice. “We couldn’t be more excited to officially put down roots in San Antonio,” says Tom Reisenbichler, Southwest region director. “With many projects here over the years, this studio has been a long time coming, and we have significant new work already in progress. Perkins&Will and San Antonio are a great fit. We see a strong appetite here for placemaking—for the kind of design-driven, sustainable, human-centric spaces that our firm is known for.”
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