Hotel Association Welcomes New Board of Directors

NEW YORK (December 18, 2018) — The Hotel Association of New York City is proud to welcome 11 new members to its Board of Directors. Three of the 11 new members were elected to the board’s Executive Committee.
 
Joining the existing 19 members of the Board of Directors will be Kaizad Charna, The Lexington Hotel; Hermann Elger, The Baccarat Hotel; Christopher Elko, Marriott Hotels; Marlene Poynder, Conrad Hotels; John Rubino, Interstate Hotels & Resorts; David Salcfas, New York Marriott East Side; Joanna Sanchez, W Hotels Worldwide; Merav Segev, Highgate Hotels; Marc Sternagel, The Roosevelt New York City; Becky Hubbard, The Lotte New York Palace; and Charmaine Stafford, InterContinental Hotels Group. 
 
New members Marc Sternagel, Becky Hubbard, and Charmaine Stafford will sit on the Executive Committee with Vijay Dandapani, President and CEO of the Hotel Association of New York City, and existing members  Diarmuid Dwyer, New York Hilton Midtown; Fred Grapstein, Executive Vice President of Vornado Realty Trust’s Hospitality Group; John Fitzpatrick, Fitzpatrick Manhattan Hotel; John Rieman, JW Marriott Essex House; John Schafer, Grand Hyatt New York; Robert Lafferty, Highgate Hotels; Sam Grabush, Highgate Hotels; Sean Verney, Sheraton New York Times Square; Shane Cookman, Fitzpatrick Hotels; and Steve Batta, MCR Development LLC.
 
Remaining in their elected positions on the Board of Directors, Fred Grapstein will continue to serve as Chair, Shane Cookman as Vice Chair, John Fizpatrick as Treasurer and Steve Batta as Secretary, alongside Vijay Dandapani.
 
Additional members who sit on the Board of Directors include Christine Devers, Renaissance Hotels; Geoffrey Allan Mills, GAM Hospitality; Matt Norman, Denihan Hospitality Group; Richard Born, BD Hotels; Robert Rechtermann, Conrad Hotels; Robert Snyder, Tishman hotel Corporation; Sofia Vandaele, InterContinental Hotels Group; and Steven Pipes, Jack Parker Corporation.
 
Established in 1878, the Hotel Association of New York City, Inc. is one of the oldest professional trade associations in the nation. Its membership includes 275 of the finest hotels in New York City, representing more than 76,000 rooms and 50,000 employees. http://www.hanyc.org/