JW Marriott Hotel at L.A. Live Announces Pre-Opening Sales Team

• 
  SAVE
• 
  SHARE
• 
  TEXT SIZE
• 
  PRINT
• 
  COMMENT
• 
  PDF

. October 14, 2008

LOS ANGELES , CA, February 12, 2008. The JW Marriott Hotel Los Angeles at L.A. LIVE has announced the appointment of its pre-opening sales executives, beginning with the naming of Karen Englund, CMP, as director of sales and marketing. Englund will be supported by Ed Polistico, Larisa Faust and Kris Umstattd, directors of national accounts, and sales coordinator Claudia Franco.

The sales team, culled from the best of all Marriott properties with more than 60 years of combined sales experience, have come together to support the pre-opening of the JW Marriott at L.A. LIVE, which will serve as the convention headquarters hotel for the Los Angeles Convention Center and will act as the cornerstone of the mixed-use L.A. LIVE development. The pre-opening sales office is located downtown at 1011 Flower Street, Los Angeles.

"This is an incredibly talented, award-winning team that is truly going to make its mark, not only on this property, but on the city of Los Angeles," said Mike Waterman, regional vice president of sales for Marriott's Western Region. "We are thrilled to have Englund at the helm, and we know her passion and expertise will bring great things to this hotel."

Just months after being assembled, the sales team already has secured its first major booking as one of the co-headquarter hotels for the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging's (AAHSA) 2010 annual meeting. The meeting will bring more than 9,000 members to the city in October of 2010.

"We held one of our most successful annual meetings in Los Angeles in 1998, but felt we were close to outgrowing the convention offerings in Los Angeles. We were thrilled to learn about the addition of the JW Marriott at L.A. LIVE, which will allow us to return to Los Angeles for our 2010 annual meeting," said Sharon Sullivan, vice president, Conferences and Marketing, AAHSA. "Not only is the hotel directly across from the Convention Center, but it also will give our members ready access to all sorts of entertainment offerings within the new L.A. LIVE district. With all of the exciting development taking place in downtown Los Angeles, we look forward offering our members the chance to experience the very latest in entertainment, dining and attractions."

"There is already a tremendous amount of excitement associated with the property because of its unique location within the L.A. LIVE project," said Karen Englund, director of sales and marketing for the JW Marriott at L.A. LIVE. "I am incredibly proud of the top-notch team we have assembled, and we look forward to delivering a unique venue that will set a new standard for meeting planners, as well as for the business and leisure traveler."

The sales team for the JW Marriott at L.A. is comprised of the following members:

Karen Englund, CMP - Director of Sales and Marketing

Englund will oversee the sales team as director of sales and marketing for the JW Marriott at L.A. LIVE. Englund joined the Marriott family in 1986, and over the course of her career has held many diverse roles leading to a dynamic focus in sales. She served as the director of sales and marketing for the Los Angeles Airport Marriott; the market director of sales for the Los Angeles Market Sales Team and Event Booking Center; the director of marketing for the Houston Marriott Medical Center; and as regional project director for Marriott International. Named "Sales Leader of the Year" in 2005 for the Western Region, she headed up the "Sales Team of the Year" in 2006 for Marriott International/US. She received her bachelor's degree in hotel/restaurant administration from the University of Massachusetts and is currently working toward her master's in business administration at the University of Southern California.

Ed Polistico - Director of National Accounts

Polistico has been named as a director of national accounts for the JW Marriott at L.A. LIVE. With 20 years of experience in the hotel business, Polistico most recently served as the director of national accounts for the JW Marriott Orlando and Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes. Joining the Marriott family in 2000, he has been awarded the Marriott International "Golden Circle Award" six years in a row, and has been the recipient of the "President's Club Award" in 2003, 2005 and 2006.

Larisa Faust - Director of National Accounts

Joining the JW Marriott at L.A. LIVE team as director of national accounts, Faust has been employed in various sales management positions within Marriott International since 1993. She has worked at the Marina del Rey Marriott, Torrance Marriott, Anaheim Marriott and the Desert Springs JW Marriott Resort & Spa, where she most recently served as a senior account executive. In 2006, Faust was a member of Marriott International's "Sales Team of the Year," and was the recipient of the "President's Club Award." Faust received her bachelor's degree in business administration and marketing from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Kris Umstattd - Director of National Accounts

Hired as a director of national accounts for the JW Marriott at L.A. LIVE, Umstattd began his career with Marriott International in 1991. During his tenure with Marriott, he has held various sales positions, including sales manager and account executive for several Marriott properties in Orange County, Calif., as well as senior account executive for Marriott properties in Orange County, Calif.; Palm Desert, Calif.; and Phoenix, Ariz. He has been the recipient of the Marriott "Golden Circle Achiever" award several times throughout his time with Marriott. Umstattd received his bachelor's degree in business administration from Northern Arizona University.

Claudia Franco - Sales Coordinator

Franco joins the JW Marriott at L.A. LIVE sales team as sales coordinator. Since joining the Marriott family in 1994, Franco has served as travel and tour coordinator, reservation agent and group housing coordinator for the Los Angeles Airport Marriott. Franco has been awarded the "Associate of the Month" award four times, and was named "Associate of the Year" in 2005.

About The JW Marriott Hotel Los Angeles at L.A. LIVE

The JW Marriott at L.A. LIVE is scheduled to open in March 2010 with 878 guest rooms and more than 75,000 square feet of meeting space. With its central location in Los Angeles' burgeoning downtown district, the hotel will provide a deluxe level of comfort and personal service within a unique environment designed to reflect its location.

As a part of L.A. LIVE, the 5.6 million-square-foot mixed-use development located in Downtown Los Angeles, the JW Marriott at L.A. LIVE will serve as the Los Angeles Convention Center's headquarters hotel and ancillary space.