DOMESTIC
Octagon, an award-winning steakhouse located at the Mystic Marriott Hotel & Spa in Groton, Connecticut, has named Cindi Houlihan as restaurant manager. Houlihan comes from Cedars Steakhouse at Foxwoods Resort & Casino, where she was the general manager. Octagon was recently given a AAA Four-Diamond Restaurant Award for the fourth time in its history…

The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort has appointed Robert Ciborowski as its executive chef. Ciborowski brings more than 15 years of culinary and restaurant management experience to his new role. He had been the resort’s executive sous chef and before that worked for several notable restaurants, including the French Laundry in Napa Valley, California, and the Banyan Tree Restaurant in the Ritz- Carlton in Kapalua, Hawaii…

Horseshoe Bay Resort in Horseshoe Bay, Texas, has hired Manuel J. Herrera to be its executive sous chef. Herrera comes from Adam’s Mark Hotel in Dallas, where he was an assistant restaurant chef …

Don Dunlap has been named general manager of C4 restaurant at the Clarendon, Phoenix. Dunlap comes from Michael’s at the Citadel in Scottsdale and has also worked at the Broadmoor Resort in Colorado Springs …

The Scottsdale Plaza Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona, has named Michael Forest an account executive. He will handle the food and beverage market and was previously the business development manager at Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa in La Jolla, California …

Cima Restaurant at Pacific Palms Resort in Industry Hills, California, has won four awards from the Southern California Restaurant Writers Association for 2007. The honors are:

• 2007 Gold Awards: Sunday Brunch and Contemporary Restaurant
• 2007 Contemporary Hotel & Resort: Pacific Palms Resort
• 2007 Silver Award: Wine Selection
• 2007 Gold Award: Sous Chef of the Year, Brandon Palmer …

Mark Sahler joins the Ritz-Carlton, Denver as executive assistant manager, food and beverage. Sahler has more than 12 years of hospitality experience and was previously at the Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch in Avon, Colorado, where he served as director of restaurants …

Andrew Jay has been named director of food and beverage at Castle Hill Inn & Resort, Newport, Rhode Island. Prior to joining Castle Hill, Jay was the director of food and beverage at Glendorn Lodge in Bradford, Pennsylvania …

Romuald Crist has been named assistant manager and sommelier for the recently reopened Palm Terrace Restaurant & Lounge at the Island Hotel Newport Beach, California. Crist, a native of Cannes, France, was a sommelier for the Parisian restaurant La Maison Blanche and earned his sommelier certification from L'Etincelle, a hotel school in Nimes, France …

Executive Chef Alexander Porter of the Renaissance Boulder Suites at Flatiron in Broomfield, Colorado, has been named Executive Chef of the Year for the 174 Renaissance brand hotels and resorts worldwide. He oversees all culinary operations at Boulder Suites, including Flatz restaurant, an upscale Rocky Mountain grill with an emphasis on fresh seafood and steaks …

A Winning pair: Mirjana Kucan from the Hilton Austin and Nathan Meyer from the Doubletree Hotel Denver are the winners of the Hilton and Doubletree mixology competition. Kucan won for her cocktail “Hot Summer Night,” and Meyer won for his “Thai Mojito-Tini.” Both drinks will appear in Hilton’s “Travel, Taste, Toast” and Doubletree’s “Exotic Escapes” beverage menus …

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is toasting its 100th anniversary with a lineup of six new centennialthemed cocktails through the end of December: The French 100, Cien Sonrisas, Cosmo 2K, Fairmont Plunge, Very Sexy, and XO Rocks …

Surf & Sand Resort in Laguna Beach, California, has completely redesigned its Splashes Restaurant to incorporate wood tones and furniture featuring clean, simple lines to add a modern touch. It’s part of the hotel’s $6 million renovation …

At the Coronado Island Marriott Resort in San Diego, California, $1.8 million in renovations are underway, including restaurant upgrades such as a state-of-the-art buffet line enhanced by a maple and granite omelet station and a dining area finished with a richly stained walnut and bamboo zebra-like flooring …

Michele’s Restaurant at Dover Downs Hotel & Casino, Dover, Delaware, is adjusting its menu to appeal to a broader market and will feature sushi as well as regional dishes of Pacific Rim, Tuscan Italian, and Southwestern fare. In addition, the interior is being redesigned to offer seating in the dining room, the chef’s table, or the wine tasting room …

A great room at the Doubletree Hotel & Executive Meeting Center Bethesda, Maryland, doesn’t just mean a comfortable bed. The hotel’s “Great Room” lobby concept includes a sushi bar, coffee bar, and a wine bar featuring over 60 wines by the glass …

O’Malley’s Sports Pub, located at the Holiday Inn Washington-Dulles Airport, is open, featuring 20 flatscreen, high-definition televisions, a wide selection of beer and spirits, and Flat Iron steaks …

The Shores Resort &Spa in Daytona Beach, Florida, has opened Azure restaurant, featuring southern-themed dishes made with French technique, like Jumbo Gulf Shrimp Rémoulade and Vidalia Onion Velouté, created by Shores Executive Chef Lonny Huot …

Guests waking up at the recently opened Holiday Inn Express Chicago-Magnificent Mile will have a chance to indulge in the brand’s Express Start breakfast, which is a complimentary café-style breakfast bar, featuring cinnamon rolls and Smart Roast coffee, as well as other morning favorites …

New Mexico’s harvest season comes to life at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa, located on a Native American reservation between Albuquerque and Santa Fe. In celebration of chile season, Executive Chef Mark Ching offers guests chile roasting tours, Native American bread baking demonstrations, and an all-chile menu in the hotel’s Corn Maiden restaurant …

INTERNATIONAL
The Delta Montréal has appointed Arianne Morin as executive chef, the hotel's first woman to achieve that position. She joined the Delta Montréal in 2004 as sous chef, and her strong skills and talent for menu development have placed her in a natural leadership role. Morin trained at the Institut de tourisme et d'hôtellerie du Québec and has worked at some of Montreal's most prominent hotel restaurants. In her new role at the Delta Montréal, she will be responsible for Aroma, a Mediterranean-style restaurant, and the Cordial Bar. She will also oversee all banquet and catering food functions …

Curaçao Marriott Beach Resort & Emerald Casino, a Dutch Caribbean resort, has appointed Silvia Nicolini as restaurant chef. Nicolini’s responsibilities include overseeing the newly reopened Portofino Italian restaurant. Nicolini has more than 12 years of experience working in restaurants and hotels throughout the world. Her most recent position was sous chef at the Rome Park Marriott Hotel …

London’s Athenaeum Hotel has named Paul Andrew Skinner as food and beverage director. Skinner will oversee the property’s main dining experiences: Damask, the Garden Room (a series of lounges), the Study (a bar), and the Whisky Room (containing an extensive collection of whiskies—250 at last count). Skinner has served as food and beverage manager at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower Hotel and Conrad Hotel, both in London, as well as the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh and the Willard InterContinental Hotel in Washington. D.C. …

The Hilton Arc de Triomphe Paris has appointed Philippe Daigneaux as executive chef. Daigneaux was most recently the sous chef at the Grand Hotel Intercontinental in Paris. Daigneaux has also worked at restaurants such as the Le Jules Verne, Drouant, and Le Grand Véfour in Paris …

Eddie Williams has been named executive chef at Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort & Spa in St. Thomas. Williams brings more than 20 years /of culinary experience to the property, spending the past eight years as executive chef at the Fort Lauderdale Grande in Florida. Williams trained in classic French cuisine and specializes in Floribbean cuisine …

The “Best Hotel Chef in Eastern Europe” can be found in Canada’s own backyard at the Delta Fredericton Hotel, New Brunswick. Executive Chef Hector Jiménez took top honors at the Eastern European Hotel Chef Awards in Kiev, Ukraine. The award is considered the highest recognition a chef can receive in Eastern Europe. The annual event is organized by the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, an international gastronomic society dedicated to bringing together both professional and nonprofessional members who appreciate and share a mutual interest in cuisine, wine, and fine dining. Jiménez’s signature dish at the Delta Fredericton is Tuna Sashimi Ceviche, a fusion of Latin-American ceviche and Japanese sashimi technique …

Roman Dolejs joins the Corinthia Towers Hotel, Prague, Czech Republic, as executive chef. He replaces Martin Jiskra who has moved to Great Britain. Dolejs comes to Prague from the Marriott Beach Resort Grand Cayman, where he worked as a chef de cuisine. Before that, he worked for a year at the Westin Casuarina Resort in Grand Cayman and also at Peter Island Resort in the British Virgin Islands as sous chef.
—Michael Costa