Greg Bernd, vice chairman of industry relations of Classic Vacations, will retire at the end of 2013 after 29 years with the company. Bernd joined Classic Vacations in 1984, rose through the ranks to the position of director of national accounts, then to vice president of sales and in 2009 he became co-president, in charge of devising and executing sales strategies.

Bernd plans to take time to spend with family and pursue his personal interests. Classic’s sales initiatives will be overseen by Dave Ferran, now promoted to head of sales.

HEATHER TO MANAGE TWO HONOLULU HOTELS

Outrigger Enterprises Group has appointed Jim Heather as general manager of the Honolulu Airport Hotel and Best Western The Plaza Hotel.

Both hotels are located within a mile of the Honolulu International Airport and are managed by Outrigger.

Heather will be responsible for the day-to-day operations and staff management of the two hotels, as well as planning, organizing and directing all hotel services and ensuring a balance between customer satisfaction, effective business management and financial viability for each property.

Heather returns “home” with this appointment following a year in Phuket, Thailand, where he was resort manager for the Outrigger Laguna Phuket Beach Resort. While in Southeast Asia, Heather helped implement the pre-opening plan for the Laguna property before assuming responsibility for the resort’s operations after its opening in April of this year.

“Jim is a well-respected member of the Outrigger management team who brings a wealth of experience to his new post,” said Barry Wallace, executive vice president of hospitality services for Outrigger Enterprises Group.

“Over the past 15 years he has honed his industry knowledge, management style and desire for the best in hospitality at Outrigger properties near and far. We’re delighted to have Jim back in Hawaii and leading our airport hotels.”

KERSHNER TO LEAD IN OAKLAND

Lisa Kershner, a San Francisco native, took the lead at the Oakland Marriott City Center, Courtyard Oakland Downtown and Oakland Convention Center on Nov. 18, 2013. She most recently managed The Lodge at Sonoma Renaissance Resort & Spa, a Marriott corporate hotel.

"I am so excited to be a part of Rim Hospitality and the multiple Marriott properties near my hometown," Kershner said. "Oakland has so much to offer, and I'm looking forward to working with the talented staff at these hotels in the San Francisco Bay Area to help raise the standard of hospitality for our guests and go beyond their expectations."

CHANGES AT ROCKY MOUNTAINEER

Leslie Peden, who has been Rocky Mountaineer’s director of sales, EMEA for the past three years and based in London, will replace Karen Hardie Wiseman as Director of Sales, USA as of Jan. 1.

Peden (pictured above) will establish an office in Orlando. Wiseman will relocate to Rocky Mountaineer’s head office in Vancouver and assume the title of Director, Global Sales and Operations. In addition, there are further plans to grow the USA sales team from four full time employees to seven by 2014.

KWAN TAKES OVER IN NEW KERZNER ROLE

Kerzner International named Ivy Kwan, Vice President of Sales & Marketing – Asia Pacific.

In this role, Kwan will drive the successful positioning of the One&Only brand in Asia Pacific, as well drive outbound sales for the Kerzner group. Two One&Only Resorts are currently in development in the region.

The Hayman Island resort will be reflagged as One&Only Hayman Island resort in 2014 and One&Only Sanya in Hainan is currently in development.  

In addition, Kerzner has also announced plans to develop Atlantis, Sanya Hainan in China.

Kwan began her career at Shangri-La International Hotel Management in Malaysia where she went from Management Trainee to Director in eight years.

She then joined the pre-opening team as Director of Sales at The Westin in Shanghai where she was responsible for establishing the Sales & Marketing department. She worked for 10 years with Ritz-Carlton before joining One&Only Resorts.

HABERMACHER NEW GM AT AYANA

AYANA Resort and Spa Bali named Roger Habermacher as General Manager.

Habermacher has worked for the Hyatt Group where he spent 16 years working through the ranks of senior management positions in Dubai, Jakarta, Mumbai and Jeju Island in South Korea.

Most recently, he was General Manager of Park Hyatt Beijing before moving to Bali for his new role.

JOHNSON TAKES OVER IN HOLLYWOOD

Brian Johnson has been named General Manager of Loews Hollywood Hotel.

Joining the hotel from Loews Coronado Bay Resort, Johnson is poised to take the helm of the newly-renovated addition to the Loews Hotels & Resorts portfolio.

In his new role, Johnson oversees day-to-day operations of the Loews Hollywood Hotel, which is currently undergoing a $31 million renovation, set to complete in March 2014.

This redesign involves a total overhaul of the hotel¹s 632 rooms and 115 suites, in addition to the lobby, 120,000 square feet of meeting space and restaurant, Preston's.

SINGER OUT AS IHG CFO

InterContinental Hotels Group announced that Tom Singer will step down from the Board and his role as Chief Financial Officer on Jan. 1, 2014.

He will be succeeded by Paul Edgecliffe-Johnson, who joined IHG in August 2004 and has held a number of senior positions, most recently as Chief Financial Officer of IHG’s Europe and Asia, Middle East & Africa regions.

UNITED NAMES HART NEW CFO

United Continental Holdings, Inc. announced that Greg Hart will be named executive vice president and chief operations officer, succeeding Pete McDonald, who is retiring after nearly 45 years with United.

In his new position, Hart will be responsible for airport operations, cargo, technical operations, network operations, flight operations, inflight service, safety and food services.

"We will miss Pete, and congratulate him on his retirement," said Chairman, President and CEO Jeff Smisek. "His leadership and tremendous knowledge of our business have been great assets to United."

Hart previously served as United's senior vice president of technical operations. He earlier held the role of senior vice president network.

Hart joined the airline in 1997 and held various leadership positions including vice president of network strategy, staff vice president of domestic scheduling and managing director of corporate development.

CRUISE MOVES: GLOBAL PROMOTES OLSEN, CELEBRATES WELCOMES SHAW

Celebrity Cruises appointed Toby Shaw to the newly created role of director of marketing and public relations for the UK and Ireland.

Global Voyages Group promoted Brad Olsen from marketing director to VP of Marketing. Prior to joining the Bellevue, Wash.-based company in April 2011, Olsen was director of direct marketing programs at Holland America Line.