San Francisco Travel Association announced that Tourism Toronto chief Scott Beck will take the reins of the DMO as president and CEO. Beck will join San Francisco Travel October 30 and will succeed current president Joe D’Alessandro, who is set to retire in December.

The first JW Marriott hotel in Dallas, JW Marriott Dallas Arts District, opened its doors in late July in the official “Cultural District” of Dallas, as designated by the Texas Commission of the Arts.

Milwaukee’s historic AAA Four-Diamond The Pfister Hotel, which is celebrating its 130th anniversary this year and owned and managed by Marcus Hotels & Resorts, announced an extensive, state-of-the-art, multi-phase renovation in June.

In early August, Hilton announced the opening of Tempo by Hilton Times Square, the first hotel from Hilton’s newest lifestyle brand. Tempo by Hilton Times Square is housed within the 46-story mixed-use TSX Broadway building, also offering experiential retail, cutting-edge entertainment spaces and the historic Palace Theatre.

DoubleTree by Hilton opened its first property in Berlin and third in Germany, DoubleTree by Hilton Berlin Ku´damm, designed to serve both leisure travelers as well as business travelers and groups.

InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown recently announced that seasoned hospitality professional Sven Wiedenhaupt will be taking on the role of general manager.

New York City Tourism + Conventions formerly known as “NYC & Company” recently announced that Christopher Thompson would join the organization as the new director, of sports and big events. 

Impact XM, a global full-service event and experiential marketing agency, announced that Robynne Weaver will become vice president of strategic accounts. Weaver has over 20 years of experience in the industry and will work with Impact XM’s client service team to take on some of the agency’s largest client accounts, along with expanding its B2B and B2C client portfolios. 

Destination DC (DDC) announced Shelby Luzzi has been promoted to senior manager, sustainability. This is the first role of its kind for an urban DMO and will focus on developing and implementing DDC’s sustainability strategy to meet the need for more sustainable travel practices across meetings, conventions and events. 

Heather Willett has been named the new assistant general manager of The Westin Atlanta Gwinnett hotel, and Julie Bilecky has been named the hotel’s new director of catering. Both Bilecky and Willett bring with them a wealth of knowledge, enthusiasm and energy to the Westin Atlanta Gwinnett team.