A big congratulations to all the movers and shakers in this week’s Flavour of the Week, and to everyone else who made it through to Friday without slipping into a caffeine-induced coma.

Jayride appoints first-ever chief commercial officer

Digital strategist and senior executive Simon Carson (pictured above) has joined airport transfer player Jayride as its first chief commercial officer.

In the newly created role, Carson will have responsibility for streamlining Jayride’s operations and helping to profitably scale the business.

Jayride said Carson’s appointment also allows company founder and managing director Rod Bishop more time to focus on strategic growth initiatives.

Coral Expeditions chooses Amy Sharpe to manage new UK sales office

Amy Sharpe

Coral Expeditions has expanded its international distribution team with the establishment of a UK sales office in London and appointing Amy Sharpe as its manager, commencing this month.

The opening of a permanent UK sales office for Coral Expeditions follows the launch of its fourth vessel, Coral Adventurer.

Sharpe will work closely with international sales manager Elizabeth Webb, who will lead ongoing expansion into global markets for the brand as it expands its expedition fleet and sailing schedule.

International initiatives will be focused on trade partners who are active in the expedition cruise sector, as well as building consumer awareness of Coral Expeditions’ unique Australian small ship expedition product.

Red Carnation Hotels boss Beatrice Tollman inducted into British Travel & Hospitality Hall of Fame

The British Travel & Hospitality Hall of Fame 2019, Four Seasons Park Lane London Hotel, 29 April 2019. Photo by Steve Dunlop. Steve@SteveDunlop.com

Beatrice (Bea) Tollman (pictured centre), president and founder of the family-run, award-winning boutique Red Carnation Hotel Collection, was inducted in to the prestigious British Travel & Hospitality Hall of Fame late last month at a spectacular dinner at the Four Seasons Hotel on Park Lane in London.

In a career spanning more than 60 years, Tollman has built a unique collection of international four- and five-star boutique hotels in the UK, Ireland, Geneva, Florida and South Africa. Each hotel is a landmark of history and tradition, with a reputation for generous hospitality, highly personalised service and exquisite cuisine.

Jewels in the collection include the magnificent Ashford Castle in the West of Ireland, the iconic Oyster Box Hotel in South Africa, London’s Hotel 41, and the newly five-star rated Rubens at the Palace overlooking the Royal Mews of Buckingham Palace.

Widely acclaimed for her momentous contribution to the hospitality industry, Bea Tollman’s numerous accolades already include the European Hospitality Awards’ Hotelier of the Year, a Catey Lifetime Achievement Award and The Leading Hotels of the World’s Leading Legend award.

Mainsail Lodging & Development appointments: new VP of business development and projects, and GM of Mainsail Housing of Tennessee

Taylor Gray

Mainsail Lodging & Development has the appointment of Taylor Gray as vice president of business development and projects.

In the newly created role, Gray will contribute to growing Mainsail’s hotel portfolio through new developments, acquisitions and third-party management opportunities.

He will also oversee the underwriting, feasibility and project coordination of all future hotels in Mainsail Lodging & Development’s pipeline.

Gray joins Mainsail Lodging & Development from Hostmark Hospitality Group, where he served as corporate director of business development.

Prior to this role, he was manager of acquisitions and development for Hard Rock Hotels, where he helped expand the company’s hotel portfolio across the Americas and Europe.

Prior to his time at Hard Rock Hotels, Gray was a senior associate at Hospitality Valuation Services (HVS) in Miami, Florida.

Gray started his career in hotel operations, holding management positions in food and beverage at two Forbes five-star, AAA five-diamond hotels, which included Raffles L’Ermitage in Beverly Hills, California, and Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles.

Amanda Pawlina

Mainsail Lodging & Development has also announced the appointment of Amanda Pawlina as general manager of Mainsail Housing of Tennessee.

Pawlina will oversee the hiring of new staff and day-to-day operations of the Mainsail Housing Tennessee office in Nashville.

Pawlina joined Mainsail Housing from Holiday Retirement in Orlando, Florida, where she served as general manager and most recently as director of corporate operations.

Prior to that, she was with White Lodging Services for several years, working as operations manager at Hyatt Place Nashville Downtown, and housekeeping manager at JW Marriott Indianapolis. Pawlina started her hospitality career at Davidson Hotel Company, holding supervisory positions at the Hyatt Regency Newport.

Paul Halford

ONYX Hospitality Group appoints Paul Halford as general manager of OZO Phuket

ONYX Hospitality Group has appointed Paul Halford as general manager of the soon-to-open OZO Phuket at Kata Beach.

Halford joins ONYX with close to 20 years of hospitality industry experience at hotels and resorts in Australia, Vanuatu, Fiji and Thailand, including a 10-year tenure across multiple Radisson Hotel Group locations.

Most recently, Halford was general manager of Park Plaza Bangkok Soi 18.

In his current role, Halford will lead the pre-opening and positioning of the brand-new OZO in Phuket, scheduled to open in June 2019.

The family-oriented resort will feature 255 rooms and suites located right on Kata Road, surrounded by a wide range of restaurants, excellent shops, a popular night market and vibrant nightlife scene.

Busabout welcomes new NSW sales manager

Susie Byrd

Busabout has announced the appointment of Susie Byrd as its new NSW sales manager.

Byrd has just returned from Europe, after “living the dream” as a Busabout guide for the past three years, where she worked across Busabout’s famed hop-on hop-off network, as well as leading trips throughout the Balkans, Oktoberfest, La Tomatina and Italian Adventure trips.

Byrd has also lived in Scotland, where she spent time with Busabout’s sister brand Haggis Adventures, before making her way back home to join the NSW sales team.

Byrd has been working in the travel industry for over eight years, with her career beginning as a retail travel consultant, before moving into sales and product manager roles.

The Peninsula Paris appoints Mauro Governato as general manager

The Peninsula Paris has announced the appointment of Mauro Governato as its new general manager.

Mauro Governato

With more than 34 years’ experience in the hospitality industry, Governato’s most recent position began in 2015 when he was named senior general manager for both the Four Seasons Hotel Milan and the Four Seasons Hotel Tunis, following a brief stint at Rocco Forte Hotels’ Hotel de Russie in Rome, which began in early 2014.

Prior to this appointment, Governato had spent seven years with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, holding general manager positions at the Four Seasons Ritz Lisbon, Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris, and Four Seasons Resort Provence at Terre Blanche.

Governato began his career in the food and beverage industry, working in Michelin-starred restaurants across Europe for a 15-year period.

Having worked in Hong Kong, London, Paris, Lisbon, Rome, Milan, the Maldives, Mauritius, and the Bahamas, he has a wealth of international experience with luxury institutions and brands.