DOMESTIC
Horseshoe Bay Resort in Horseshoe Bay, Texas, has promoted Robbin Murphy to executive chef. Previously, Murphy held this post at the Horseshoe Bay Resort Marriott Hotel, which recently combined with Horseshoe Bay Resort under one management team to operate as a single property covering 7,000 acres. Murphy originally joined Horseshoe Bay Resort Marriott Hotel as a sous chef when it opened in 2004 …

Seaport Hotel in Boston has hired Leah Malin as director of catering at the AAA Four-Diamond property. Malin will be responsible for the sales efforts of the catering team, as well as supervising all aspects of the catering department. She was most recently the director of catering for the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Boston …

The Renaissance Portsmouth Hotel & Waterfront Conference Center in Portsmouth, Virginia, has hired Mark DiVenuti as director of catering and conference services. DiVenuti brings over 20 years of hospitality experience, including more than 10 years with Omni Hotels in Norfolk, Virginia, and Charleston, South Carolina …

Eric Wheelwright is the new restaurant and lounge manager at the Fairmont Newport Beach (California) Hotel. Wheelwright will oversee the hotel’s bambú Restaurant and Lounge and lead a team of 35 employees. Wheelwright was most recently the GM at Mastro’s Steakhouse in Costa Mesa, California …

Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, MGM Mirage’s resort on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, has promoted Greg Van Stone to VP of F&B. Van Stone has been the director of F&B at Beau Rivage for the past six years …

The Scottsdale Plaza Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona, has promoted Alejandro Arce to executive chef at its Remington’s Restaurant & Lounge. Arce joined Remington’s Restaurant in 1996 and has held several positions there over the past 12 years …

John Garcia has been named chef de cuisine for Restaurant 162’ at the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel in Dana Point, California. Chef Garcia’s specialty is California cooking with a strong emphasis on traditional American dishes. He was most recently chef de cuisine at both the Arizona Kitchen and Red’s Steakhouse at the Wigwam Golf Resort & Spa in Litchfield Park, Arizona …

The Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club in Naples, Florida, has named Judy Kilkenny director of catering and conference services. Kilkenny joins the resort from Hilton McLean Tysons Corner in McLean, Virginia, where she was the senior catering sales manager …

Philip Lane has been hired as the director of catering and conference services at the Abbey Resort & Spa in Fontana, Wisconsin. Lane will serve in a newly created position at the hotel. He was previously director of event management at the Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa in Birmingham, Alabama …

Executive Chef Jason Pope of Bear Creek Mountain Resort & Conference Center in Macungie, Pennsylvania, has achieved his Certified Executive Chef (CEC) designation from the American Culinary Federation. Pope is a native of Columbia, South Carolina, attended Baltimore International College School of Culinary Arts, and has worked in the culinary field for 19 years …

The Langham Hotel, Boston, has appointed Trena Costello as assistant pastry chef. She joins the property from Four Seasons Hotel Miami, where she was the pastry chef de partie …

Stephen Milstein is the new executive chef at the Westin Chicago River North. Milstein has 22 years of culinary experience and has a passion for ice carving, with some of his work being showcased at the Texas State Fair. Before joining the Westin Chicago River North, Milstein was the executive chef at the Westin St. Louis …

W San Diego has added three new members to its food and beverage team: Anthony Torres, director of F&B; James Pearson, sous chef; and the property’s first pastry chef, Yvonne Marquez. Torres was most recently director of F&B at the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines in La Jolla, California, while Pearson was senior lead cook at the Westin Bellevue in Bellevue, Washington. Marquez was the pastry chef at La Jolla’s Azul restaurant …

Mark Kropczynski has been named executive chef at the US Grant hotel in San Diego. Chef Kropczynski joins the Starwood Luxury Collection property from the Inn at Rancho Santa Fe, California. He will focus on creating sophisticated menus based on the seasonal ingredients of San Diego’s coastal climate …

The Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey, California, has appointed Chad Minton as chef de cuisine of the hotel’s Jer-Ne Restaurant + Bar. Minton has partnered with Niman Ranch and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Program in an effort to serve 100 percent natural sustainable meats and aquaculture seafood on the menu at Jer-Ne. He was previously the executive chef of the Mosaic Bar & Grille at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver …

InterContinental Montelucia Resort & Spa in Paradise Valley, Arizona, has hired Francesco Roccato as the resort’s executive chef. The hotel opens in August and will feature food and beverage outlets that evoke the atmosphere of Morocco with menus reflecting the flavors of Andalusia, Spain. Roccato was most recently the executive chef at the InterContinental Cleveland …

The Swissôtel Chicago is rolling out the red carpet for its pint-sized guests with its Very Important Kids program (VIK). The hotel offers a kid-friendly menu with dishes like butter pasta and meatballs, a four-ounce sirloin burger, and a build-your-own peanut butter and jelly with crustless bread …

Charles Allen has been named pastry chef for VOICE, the signature restaurant and lounge that opened in April at downtown Houston’s Hotel ICON. Allen was previously the pastry chef at BANK, a restaurant at Hotel ICON formerly operated by Jean-Georges Vongerichten …

Whitetail Club & Resort in McCall, Idaho, has named Ian Fulton the property’s executive chef and Stephen Tuten as manager of Narrows, the resort’s fine dining outlet. Fulton is a native of Scotland with 30 years of culinary experience, previously working as a caterer and personal chef for celebrities including Jack Nicholson, George Hamilton, and Tommy Lasorda. Tuten was most recently director of F&B at the Greer Lodge Resort in Greer, Arizona …

Brian Flagg is the new executive chef at the Millennium Bostonian Hotel in Boston. Flagg is a native of Massachusetts and graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1991. He was most recently the executive chef of Summer Shack restaurant in Boston …

The Park Hyatt Washington in Washington, D.C., has hired Diego Anea to be the property’s executive assistant manager of F&B. Anea will oversee the food and beverage operations at the hotel and also act as deputy to the GM. Anea is a native of Argentina and comes from the Hyatt on Capital Square in Columbus, Ohio, where he was also the executive assistant manager of F&B …

The Renaissance Orlando Hotel Airport has completed a multimillion dollar top-to-bottom renovation of the 297-room property, including a complete revamp of its restaurant, Fresco Moderne Brasserie…

The Orlando World Center Marriott Resort has opened High Velocity Sports Bar, replacing the former Champions Sports Bar at the hotel. One of the largest sports bars in Central Florida, it has 28 flat-panel HDTVs and serves multiple brands of beer on tap, along with appetizers like sliders, burgers, and chicken wings …

Iridescence, a AAA Four- Diamond restaurant in Detroit, has moved to the top of the 17- floor MotorCity Casino Hotel tower. Chef Adam Hightower, the restaurant’s fine dining chef, specializes in regional American cuisine and has created a menu reflecting local and organic ingredients with dishes like cinnamon lavender pheasant and green peppercorn-crusted filet of prime beef …

Carefree Resort & Villas in Carefree, Arizona, has rolled out a New West menu at the property’s Lariat Grill. Executive Chef Stephen Strickland incorporates traditional Native American ingredients and flavors to create dishes like Wild West grilled elk sausage with jicama and grain mustard, slow-roasted adobe pork shoulder with polenta and Cotija cheese, and barbecued jumbo scallops with rattlesnake beans and cilantro…

INTERNATIONAL
Executive Chef Eric Frechon of the Hôtel Le Bristol Paris has been awarded a 2008 “Espoir” from the Michelin Red Guide, as well as the world renowned Légion d’Honneur. The exclusive “Legion of Honor” award was given directly to Frechon by President Nicolas Sarkozy, who dines regularly at Le Bristol’s restaurant. The award was established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802 to recognize service and merit, regardless of nationality, rank, or profession …

Dolce La Hulpe Brussels was awarded Venue of the Year at the 5th annual MPI awards in Belgium. The 264- room hotel opened its doors in 2007 and is designed to host conferences, meetings, and special events. Executive Chef Pascal Marcin oversees two restaurants on the property, Argan and Tree O, as well as two lounges, the Oak Bar and Badian …

Erich Friedl joins the Westin Kuala Lumpur as executive assistant manager of F&B. Friedl joined Starwood in 2000 as executive chef of the former Sheraton Sydney Airport and most recently was director of F&B at the Westin Grande Sukhumvit, Bangkok…

The Lanesborough in London has opened Apsleys, a restaurant designed by Adam Tihany and featuring modern Italian cuisine created by Executive Chef Nick Bell. Prior to opening Apsleys, Bell traveled extensively throughout Italy to source produce for his menu, which features dishes like Beef Steak Fiorentina with Bone Marrow Sauce carved tableside.