Following a surge of growth in its portfolio of upmarket accommodation establishments, Newmark Hotels & Reserves has announced several new key appointments at the hospitality management company’s head office in Cape Town.
Kim Gunnell has been appointed MICE Sales Manager, bringing eight years of global hospitality sales experience to the role. Her appointment follows the onboarding of several new properties, well suited to MICE business, to the Newmark Hotels & Reserves portfolio.
Sarah Robertson has joined the company as Group PR Manager. Robertson brings 20 years of industry experience in senior management roles and extensive experience as a travel journalist to this new position. She has a BCom in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Travel and Tourism. Robertson has been tasked with raising the profile of the Newmark Group and growing brand awareness of the 21 individual hotels and reserves within the portfolio.
Grant Solomon has been appointed Group Talent Specialist. Solomon has a BTech in HR Development, a Diploma in HR Management and brings ten years of HR experience to the role. Solomon has taken over the responsibility of recruitment at Newmark Hotels & Reserves. He will also play an integral role in recruitment and development of talent at hotel level.
Tevin Herold joins as Reservationist in Newmark’s Central Reservations Office. An all-rounder, Herold has worked in various roles in the hospitality industry for the past ten years.
Sharne Lewis joins as Reservations Coordinator. Lewis studied hospitality management and has worked in a variety of roles within the industry for the past 12 years.
“It is extremely exciting to see that, in line with the growth of our portfolio of hotels and reserves, our staff numbers have seen similar exponential growth. Within the last six months our head office team has grown by 27% and we look forward to welcoming even more hospitality professionals onboard as our recruitment drive continues. We have several vacancies to fill at our head office and are also recruiting throughout Africa and the Indian Ocean islands for many of the hotels that we manage,” said CEO of Newmark Hotels & Reserves, Neil Markovitz.
Weeva appoints inaugural CTO
Weeva, a digital sustainability solution for tourism businesses, has appointed James Lever as its inaugural Chief Technology Officer (CTO).
Lever will oversee the next wave of innovation as Weeva seeks to give hospitality providers of all sizes access to best-practice, science-based, and data-driven sustainability solutions.
Lever brings more than two decades of experience developing technology solutions for leading travel businesses including Amadeus and easyJet holidays, as well as cruise companies, tour operators, travel agencies, and airline alliances.
He has held leadership roles at several travel and tech companies, including serving as CTO at zen3, Head of Technology and CTO at CWT Digital, Head of IT and Development at Can 360, IT Development Manager at Barwell Travel, and Founder and Managing Director of IBUK Web Services.
Lever said: “In just its first year, Weeva has already revolutionised the way that travel and tourism businesses measure and assess their impacts across social and environmental parameters – and identify the practical steps they can take to improve. Over the next year, we’ll be pushing the needle further, adopting innovative approaches to guide these businesses through the process of becoming more sustainable and help them embed better practices across their teams.”
