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Rebecca Trumbo and William Gullion recently joined Greenville-based Auro Hotels as procurement director and vice president of design and construction, respectively. Trumbo previously held procurement roles at Best Western Hotels & Resorts, IHG Hotels & Resorts and Hilton Hotels. Gullion's past positions include president of architecture, design and construction at Virage Creative and vice president of global shared technical services at Hilton Worldwide, Auro said in a statement. "We are excited to welcome Rebecca and William to the Auro Hotels family," said DJ Rama, Auro Hotels' president and CEO. "Their extensive experience and proven track records in the hospitality industry will be invaluable as we continue to drive growth and innovation. We look forward to the significant contributions they will make to our team and the positive impact they will have on our operations and guest experiences."

AAHOA IS URGING hotels to adopt cybersecurity measures to prevent incidents similar to the recent cyberattacks on MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment. Following the ransomware attack on IHG Hotels & Resorts last year, which cost hotel owners between $30,000 and $75,000 each, AAHOA called for clear lines of communication to protect franchisees who bore the brunt of revenue losses from bookings missed due to the disruptions. In July, Choice Hotels International confirmed a data breach impacting guest information in its Radisson Hotels Americas chain, originating from a file-transfer system hack, according to AAHOA and media reports. The association said that most impacted franchisees are small business owners, unable to absorb unexpected booking losses. This challenge is amplified by ongoing issues like staffing shortages, which further hinder their recovery efforts. It further emphasized that with franchisor support, hoteliers can improve the guest experience and reduce the risk of disruptive incidents.

THE AHLA FOUNDATION, is re-launching its ForWard program, created to advance women in leadership and ownership within the hotel industry, and plans to integrate the program with the recently acquired Castell Project, an organization focused on promoting women in hospitality leadership. Also, the foundation presented the 2023 Peggy Berg Castell Award to Julienne Smith, IHG Hotels & Resorts' chief development officer for the Americas. The integration of ForWard and the Castell Project will result in a unified platform offering resources, events, professional development, and community-building opportunities, the AHLA Foundation said in a statement. "There is tremendous opportunity for us to do more to celebrate, champion, and create community for women," said Anna Blue, president of AHLA Foundation, the charitable arm of the American Hotel and Lodging Association. "AHLA Foundation is uniquely positioned to collaborate across industry and invest in the women who are advancing hospitality."

Sameer Nair is now senior vice president of acquisitions and development for Atlanta-based hotel investment and management firm Hospitality Ventures Management Group. Prior to joining HVMG, Nair oversaw transactions worth more than $600 million as vice president of investments and capital markets for Delray Beach-based Kolter Hospitality, the company said in a statement. In a career span of 11 years, Nair has sourced and closed deals worth more than $350 million across Hilton-, Hyatt-, IHG-, Marriott-franchised hotels and also negotiated and restructured $1 billion of existing debt. "An industry expert with more than a decade of hospitality real estate experience, Sameer immediately brings a wealth of knowledge and industry relationships he's acquired during his decorative career thus far. His presence immediately augments and broadens our already strong bench strength, and we look forward to Sameer playing an important role in helping HVMG and our owners and investors achieve their growth goals," said Robert Cole, HVMG president and CEO.

THE U.S. HOTEL construction pipeline grew 9 percent by both projects and rooms year-over-year, according to the latest U.S. Construction Pipeline Trend Report from Lodging Econometrics. It stood at 5,545 projects with 658,207 rooms at the close of the first quarter of 2023. Meanwhile, the hotel construction pipeline in the top 25 markets in the U.S. also registered year-over-year growth in the first quarter. Dallas had a record 184 projects with 21,810 rooms at the close of the first quarter, followed by Atlanta with 144 projects containing 18,242 rooms, Los Angeles tally stood at 118 projects with 19,066 rooms, Phoenix with 117 projects with 16,100 rooms and Nashville had 115 projects containing 15, 354 rooms, LE report revealed. In another report, LE analysts also detailed the leading franchise companies and their brands in the construction pipeline at the close of the first quarter. Marriott International tops the charts with 1,499 projects containing 181,377 rooms, followed closely by Hilton Worldwide, with a record-high count of 1,436 projects with 161,359 rooms, and then InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) with 809 projects containing 80,679 rooms. Combined, these three franchise companies comprise 68 percent of the projects in the total U.S. pipeline, LE said.

The SpringHill Suites by Marriott San Diego Carlsbad is now open in Carlsbad, California. It is owned and managed by DKN Hotels of Irvine, California, led by Kiran Dahya as CEO. The 104-suite hotel in Carlsbad Village outside San Diego is near Carlsbad State Beach, U.S. Marine Corps's Camp Pendleton, LEGOLAND California, The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch, The Crossings at Carlsbad and the Carlsbad Premium Outlets. Amenities include a rooftop lounge, outdoor swimming pool and two meeting rooms with a combined 1,156 square-feet of space. DKN Hotels was founded in 1984 by the Dahya family. Its portfolio of owned and third-party managed Hilton, Marriott, IHG, and independent properties throughout the greater Southern California area.

PEACHTREE HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT entered into a long-term contract with Savannah, Georgia-based HOS Management to operate nine hotels. The hotels are primarily in the Southeast and are Marriott, Hilton and IHG branded. PHM will manage hotel operations in compliance with hotel brand standards, scalable operating efficiencies, digital and market initiatives and other cost saving across the portfolio, according to Peachtree. PHM is part of Atlanta-based Peachtree Group, led by Jatin Desai and Mitul Patel as managing principals. "We have a wealth of experience managing hotels and providing best-in-class operations for our valued partners like HOS Management, who have entrusted us with their hotel operations," said Patrick Short, PHM president. "With 25 percent of our portfolio third-party managed, we are committed to protecting the assets value and driving bottom lines results for our partners while providing an outstanding experience for our hotel guests."

Mark Sergot is InterContinental Hotels Group's new vice president for global sales operations and enablement. Previously he was chief sales officer for Associated Luxury Hotels International. Sergot spent 16 years at FRHI Hotels & Resorts, the parent company of the Fairmont, Raffles & Swissotel brands. He became FRHI's senior vice president for its global sales organization. He will be based on the company's Americas headquarters in Atlanta and report to global sales Vice President Derek DeCross.