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Court Issues Injunction Against Corporate Transparency Act
NIFB and NSBA Applaud Ruling
By Todd McElwee
The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) and National Small Business Association (NSBA) are celebrating an important legal victory. On December 3, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas granted NFIB’s request for a preliminary injunction, blocking the Treasury Department from enforcing the Corporate Transparency Act’s (CTA) beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting requirements.
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Industry Movers
Tiffany Cooper
Tiffany Cooper is now Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group’s Head of Development, Americas. With more than 30 years of experience in sales, marketing, operations and development, Cooper most recently served as Chief Development Officer for the Americas and Caribbean at Aimbridge Hospitality. She began her career with Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants in 1995, where she later advanced to be head of development for North America and the Caribbean.
Gino Marasco
Gino Marasco is now Kalahari Resorts and Conventions’ Vice President of Sales. He has more than 20 years of experience in hospitality and joins Kalahari Resorts from Timbers Resorts, where he was managing director of hospitality. His career also includes serving as Corporate Director of Sales and Marketing at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts and holding leadership positions at resorts such as The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin.
Roisin O’Sullivan
Roisin O’Sullivan, who joined Walks and Devour in 2014 as marketing director and is currently COO, has been named Global Managing Director of Walks and Devour. Founded in 2009, the company provides sightseeing experiences and food tours in Europe and North America and has 1,000 tour guides in 23 cities. In her new role, O’Sullivan will oversee global operations and drive the company’s growth and strategic objectives.
Chris Suarez
Chris Suarez is now Nobu Hotel Palo Alto’s General Manager. An industry veteran with nearly 25 years of hospitality experience on the California coast, Suarez will oversee all aspects of the hotel’s operations. He was previously the director of sales & marketing at the hotel. Prior to joining the Nobu team in 2019, Suarez’s hospitality career spanned several properties throughout California and Arizona, including Stanford Park Hotel.
Ryan Kingston
Ryan Kingston is the Area Managing Director for Noble House Hotels & Resorts’ Wyoming properties: Hotel Terra Jackson Hole, Teton Mountain Lodge & Spa, and Snake River Sporting Club. He spent 11 years with Hilton Worldwide, where he worked in sales, marketing and operations. At SMASHotels, Kingston held dual roles as senior vice president and general manager of theWit Hotel in Chicago. He has worked in Las Vegas.
Chef Matias Caceres
Chef Matias Caceres is now Executive Chef of Che Ah Chi and Tii Gavo at Enchantment Resort in Sedona, Arizona. He has nearly 15 years of fine dining and luxury resort experience. Caceres first began his culinary career in the United States in 2010 after arriving from Argentina. He also worked in San Diego at The Wild Thyme Catering Company, where he started as a prep cook.
Association NEWS
Around Associations
IGLTA Welcomes Four New Board Members… The International LGBTQ+ Travel Association (IGLTA) has announced its board of directors for 2025–2026. Four industry leaders in the tourism and hospitality sectors have been appointed to join the board. Their two-year term begins in January 2025.
Aisha Shaibu-Lenoir, Founder of Moonlight Experiences; Keshav Suri, Executive Director of The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group, Sophia Hyder Hock, Chief Inclusion Officer, Destinations International; and Danny Guerrero, CEO & Founder of The Culturist Group, have joined IGLTA’s governing body.
“While these four individuals are new to the board, they are not new to IGLTA. Each of these leaders has been a strong supporter of our mission, and we look forward to their contributions in advancing LGBTQ+ travel worldwide,” said Dougal Mckenzie (he/him), 2024 IGLTA Board Chair. “The strength of our board lies in its diversity and commitment, and together, they help drive IGLTA’s vision forward. We’re confident that this board will continue to make a meaningful impact on the future of LGBTQ+ tourism.”
Find the complete board at iglta.org.
Hotel NEWS
Checking Inn
Chris Kelley
Hard Rock International appointed Chris Kelley as President of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tejon. In this new role, Kelley will oversee operations of the forthcoming property in Kern County, California, expected to open in late 2025.
Kelley will report to Hard Rock’s COO, Jon Lucas, who called Kelley a “veteran of the casino and resorts space.” Lucas added that Hard Rock is “so excited” for Kelley to join the company.
“We are confident Chris will bring forth his innovative and extensive background in finance and operations, ensuring continued growth and excellence for Hard Rock’s leadership in the gaming industry,” Lucas said.
Most recently, Kelley served as President and COO of MGM Resorts International’s Northeast Group, where he oversaw operations two MGM properties in Springfield, Massachusetts, and Yonkers, New York.
“I am so thrilled to join the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tejon team as President. This is an incredible opportunity to lead a dynamic and exciting property that embodies the spirit of entertainment and hospitality,” said Kelley.
Holston House Nashville, a boutique hotel, has partnered with CreatiVets, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting veterans through art and music, to launch the hotel’s Reindeer Games Pop-Up Bar.
The pop-up experience kicked off on December 1 and continues through January 1, serving exclusive holiday-inspired cocktails, including: Santa’s Old Fashioned, Mistletoe Mule, Frostbite Martini, and The Jolly Nog. As part of the pop-up, the Reindeer Games bar will also provide whimsical decorations, live entertainment every Thursday through Saturday, “spotlighting talented veteran musicians in partnership with CreatiVets,” and holiday-themed games, the boutique hotel said.
San Diego’s newest boutique hotel, the Granger Hotel, has opened in the city’s Gaslamp Quarter, Boutique Hotelier reported on November 27. The 96-room hotel is a Design Hotels member, and offers two food and beverage options: 5th & Lox, a lobby café serving breakfast; and The Parlor Room, an evening lounge serving cocktails.
The Granger Hotel’s owners, Alvin and Kevin Mansour, collaborated with Erika Baker, Creative Director of Oram Hotels, to create interior design for the hotel that paid homage to the Gaslamp Quarter’s history with bold colors, original and vintage works of art, velvet upholstery and more.
The building that houses the hotel was constructed in 1904 and previously served as the Merchant’s National Bank as well as a temporary shelter for animals moving into the San Diego Zoo prior to the zoo’s completion.
Convention Bureau/Center NEWS
CVB Update
Visit Baltimore announced on December 3 the refresh of its award-winning Warm Welcome program, an initiative designed to promote inclusivity and exceptional hospitality throughout the city.
New Warm Welcome content includes a video module created in collaboration with renowned diversity, equity, and inclusion expert Deanna Singh, founder of Uplifting Impact, an organization dedicated to building bridges across differences and fostering inclusive leadership. This new resource offers tools for embracing differences through our daily interactions with guests and explores the benefits of welcoming people from all backgrounds, while providing tips on how to become a steward of inclusivity within their organizations.
The initiative now features a refreshed webpage, logo, and brand completed in partnership with Baltimore-based creative agency Coven. Tourism Academy will serve as the new online platform for Warm Welcome and more. When fully launched next year, it will become a hub for professional development with free courses to support Baltimore’s hospitality sector.
“At Visit Baltimore, we recognize that the world is constantly evolving and that the needs of our community have grown in terms of relevant and dynamic diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility content” said Al Hutchinson, President & CEO of Visit Baltimore. “We are all humans who are trying to build a better world every day, and this refresh provides a reminder to our hospitality community to welcome and embrace people from all backgrounds. We are excited to continue working with experts to create resources for our community that inspire allyship and foster ongoing education.”
For more information, visit baltimore.org/warm-welcome.
