Joe Palmieri General Manager Joseph Palmieri, a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania native, was named general manager of the 1203-room Hilton Americas-Houston hotel in December 2007. Palmieri comes to Houston most recently from the Dallas Hilton Lincoln Centre. Bringing with him 33 years of managerial experience, he has served in many operational capacities in the hotel industry. In previous years, Palmieri also served as area and regional vice president of operations for Hilton Hotels Corporation and has held positions which include president and chairman of the Dallas Hotel/Motel Association, member of the Board of Directors of the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau and member of the Board of Directors of the Texas Hotel/Motel Association. A graduate of the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, Palmieri holds a degree in Hotel Management and also participated in the post graduate General Managers program at Cornell University. As general manager of the Hilton Americas-Houston, Palmieri leads the executive management committee, which consists of 15 other key hotel executives.
Melissa Lane Resident Manager A 25-year veteran of the hospitality industry, Lane began her career as a guest service agent and progressed through several managerial positions. She worked in front office operations, housekeeping, reservations and sales at various Texas based properties. Lane was named general manager of the Doubletree Club Hotel Dallas in April of 1999. Prior to joining the Houston team, Lane, a native of Fort Worth, served as general manager of the Doubletree Hotel Dallas - Campbell Centre. As resident manager of Hilton Americas-Houston, Lane oversees the daily operations of the hotel.
Janice O Neill-Cox Director of Sales and Marketing Janice O Neill-Cox, who was the first associate hired for the Hilton Americas-Houston hotel in July 2001, is the director of sales and marketing. A 20-year hospitality industry veteran, she s held sales and marketing posts for Hyatt and Westin hotels in Atlanta and Westin hotels in Houston, including the Westin Galleria and Westin Oaks hotels. During her career, she has won numerous industry awards for her innovative sales and marketing campaigns. Some of those awards include Sales Manager of the Year, Director of Sales & Marketing of the Year and Team of the Year. At the Hilton Americas-Houston, O Neill-Cox supervises a sales team of 12 sales managers.
Jay Bush Director of Food and Beverage Jay Bush has been in the hospitality industry for more than 24 years, and with the Hilton family for nine of those years. He comes to the Hilton Americas-Houston from the Hilton Portland and Executive Tower Hotel in Oregon where he served as director of food and beverage. Prior to that, he was the director of food and beverage at the Hilton DFW Lakes in Grapevine, Texas. Bush has also worked for Marriott Hotels and John Q. Hammons Hotels during his career. As the director of food and beverage for the Hilton Americas-Houston, Jay Bush oversees the set-up, service, and delivery of all six of the hotel s food and beverage outlets including banquets and catering, Skyline Bar & Grill, Spencer s for Steaks and Chops, the Café, Java Coast, and In-Room Dining.
Paul-David Van Atta Director of Catering With 24 years of experience in hospitality food service, Paul-David Van Atta has an impressive track record of success at Hilton properties as well as Radisson Hotels and for General Mills Restaurant division. While at the Hilton McLean at Tysons Corner, near Washington, D.C., he increased catering revenues by more than 100 percent over six years. Van Atta is known for his community involvement and recognized for producing high-profile celebrity and political events. He has planned and orchestrated a variety of grand events for celebrities including President George W. Bush, General Colin Powell; Vice President Dick Cheney, Erin Brokovich for the Women s Center; Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York; the Royal Family of Saudi Arabia; the Washington Redskins, Secretary of State Madeline Albright and Paula Zhan of CNN. Van Atta holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Performance and Bachelor of Business Administration from Valdosta State University, Georgia.
Didier Dessemond Executive Chef An accomplished chef, Didier Dessemond attended La Chambre des Metiers in Draguignan, France. In 1974, he apprenticed at the Hotel Semeria for two years. He worked throughout France until 1977, when he was recruited to be a culinary team member at Universal Restaurants, Inc. in Dallas, where he planned menus for a variety of eateries including Old Warsaw, Les Saisons, Arthur s and Mario s. He has worked in exclusive hotels and restaurants around the world; most recently as the executive chef at the 1,234-room Hilton Los Angeles Airport, where he was responsible for the operation of three gourmet restaurants, room service and banquet facilities. Dessemond has received many awards, including a Gold Medal, Judges Award Trophy from the San Francisco Culinary Salon and a Silver Medal, Best in Show Trophy from the Orange County Culinary Salon and the Hilton LAX Leadership Award for two quarters. From 1983 to 1990, Dessemond was a teacher and executive chef for the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, one of the leading culinary schools in the country.
Jose Cervantes Director of Housekeeping Services With more than 20 years of housekeeping experience, Cervantes began his career as housekeeping manager at the Hilton Anaheim Towers in 1984. His dedication to providing a quality product provided him with job growth within the Hilton Hotels Corporation, and he was quickly promoted to director of housekeeping at the Hilton Los Angeles Airport. Cervantes earned his degree from the University of Guadalajara and now manages a team of 200 people at Hilton Americas-Houston, the city s largest hotel.
Joanne Webster Director of Human Resources A seasoned professional with 24 years of experience in hotels, with the last 15 of those years in Human Resource management, Joanne Webster has consistently been an award-winning employee for Hilton, Wyndham and Marriott hotels. Most recently, as Director of Human Resources at the Hilton Charlotte & Towers, she decreased employee turnover rates to 57 percent in 2002 from 88 percent in 1999. Webster has received many professional awards and recognition including Leadership Awards for 2000 and 2003, Most Improved Human Resources Department and Manager of the Quarter. Webster attended Immaculata College, where she took courses in Personnel and Human Resources management. Webster is also a certified trainer for various hotel corporations. At the Hilton Americas-Houston Hotel, Webster oversees employee recruitment, benefits, and employee relations, as well as the training and development for the hotel s 1,000-person workforce.
Mo Khan Director of Property Operations Khan joined the Hilton Hotels Corporation in 1988 as an assistant chief engineer at the Doubletree Hotel Allen Center in Houston, Texas. He was promoted to director of engineering of the 349 guestroom property in 1990. His extensive experience in this field has taken Khan to many properties within the Hilton company including director of engineering positions at the Doubletree Post Oak in Houston, Texas and the Doubletree Hotel Seattle Airport. In Seattle, Khan worked with contractors on the hotel s $25 million renovation project. In August of 2000, he became the director of property operations overseeing two properties in Seattle; the Doubletree Hotel Seattle Airport and the Hilton Hotel Seattle Airport. Combined, the hotels had 1,250 guestrooms and 95,000 square feet of meeting space. In May 2006, Khan joined the Hilton Americas Houston team where he oversees the upkeep, rehabilitation, and maintenance of the entire 1,200 guestroom hotel, including the physical building structure, all mechanical, electrical, HVAC systems, and related equipment in accordance with energy conservation and preventative maintenance programs. Khan attended the University of Omaha, Nebraska where he earned several certifications; First Grade Stationary Engineer s License, Universal Technicians License, and an Associate Degree in Air Conditioning & Refrigeration.
Lisa Mormile Director of Revenue Management Lisa Mormile brings over 15 years of hotel experience to her role as the Director of Revenue Management for Houston s largest hotel. She began her career as a PBX operator/reservations agent in 1990. Mormile has held various positions within Front Office Operations, as well as, catering and conference services before being named revenue manager of the Doubletree Hotel Houston Downtown in 2000. Mormile graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University with a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Administration in 1996. Some of her many accomplishments include being manager of the quarter 2002 at the Doubletree Hotel Houston Downtown and a graduate of Hilton s Revenue Management University in 2000.
Phillip Tubb Director of Finance Phillip Tubb served as vice president, corporate controller for Doubletree Hotels, a member of the Hilton Hotels Corporation family. As corporate controller, he was the area controller for 20 full-services hotels, in five major tourist destination states. As Doubletree Hotels Area Controller in Tulsa, Tubb was responsible for all accounting and financial reporting for the 370-room Warren Place Hotel, which was twice voted as Hotel of the Year by the Oklahoma Hotel Motel Association. A veteran in hotel finance and cost management, Tubb brings the Hilton Americas Houston a strong sense of fiscal responsibility and a track record for prudent management. His ability to accurately forecast allows for increased efficiencies and profitability. He attended the University of Virginia majoring in business administration. Tubbs leadership experience also includes serving in the U.S. Marine Corp in Vietnam.
Claudia Zambrano Director of Front Office Operations As a member of the Hilton family for the past decade, Zambrano never imagined she would work in the hotel industry. The flexibility of the hours first interested her as she continued her schooling. She soon developed a passion for the industry and has learned many aspects of the business. Zambrano joins the Hilton Americas-Houston as its Director of Front Office Operations from the Hilton Los Angles Airport, where she served in the same capacity. She has many computer programming skills, as well as experience in hotel Revenue Management. Zambrano has an Associate Arts degree in Business Administration from El Camino College.
Randy Shain Director of Events Randy Shain began his events and catering career at the Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak in 1982. In the Phoenix area for 25 years as a part of the Hilton Family, he has held director positions for the last seven. His experience includes positions at the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort, the Pointe South Mountain Resort and the Doubletree Paradise Valley Resort. Most recently serving as director of events at the Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort before coming to Houston, Randy has done an outstanding job leading his events teams to success with groups and with guests, and building successful client relationships. As director of events at the Hilton Americas-Houston, Randy leads an experienced team of event managers specializing in ensuring memorable occasions for everyone.