ICONIC HOSPITALITY - Key Persons
For the last 11 years Ashley has been immersed in the Real Estate Development world working with developers in a leadership capacity on over 50 projects in 14 countries. Ashley's expertise ranges from strategic envisioning, design, and offering to detailed sales and marketing strategy and execution. Ashley served as Director of Business Innovation for Playground /Intrawest; the world's largest developer of village centered resorts, and was the Vice President of Real Estate for Envisioning and Storytelling. Most recently Ashley served as Project Director for Starwood Capital Group and consulted for various Urban and Resort Developers Internationally. Ashley now serves as Vice President of Strategy and Results for Braun Allison. If you know Ashley, you know she is about delivering results and exceeding expectations in all mandates she encounters.
Job Titles:
- Food & Beverage Consultant
Born and raised in the French Riviera, he has over 25 years experience in the Food and Beverage industry. With a broad range of expertise, he quickly put his mark as a World Class Chef in the United States. Recruited by Steve Wynn and the Mirage Hotels, he managed 13 F&B venues and nearly 600 employees. As the Executive Chef of Little Buddha in Las Vegas, he soon became the Corporate Chef for Buddha Bar Corporation and launched its sister restaurants abroad. In 2004 he oversaw seven properties on Native American land from California, Oklahoma, Nevada, South Dakota and Oregon. In the Dominican Republic, he developed and launched the Hotel and Food and Beverage department of Aurora Del Sol in Santo Domingo. Since late 2007 he has been developing new concept restaurants for various entities such as the former CEO of Park Place Entertainment. He has a vast knowledge of the F&B industry and is considered one of the best turnaround and profit generator specialists for Restaurants.
Job Titles:
- Marketing and Branding
- Partner at Braun / Allison Inc
David Allison, partner at Braun/Allison Inc., and lead Marketing and Branding consultant for Iconic Resorts, has built a practice that revolves around branding and marketing of destinations. His work for resortbased properties globally is closely tied to real estate sales, and focuses on creating compelling marketing campaigns for destinations in Costa Rica, the Caribbean, Mongolia, across the US and Canada.
David is an expert in designing and implementing social media programs, strategies for online engagement through websites and online marketing tools, traditional media campaigns, and strategic promotions. He's an author, journalist, and blogger. He has been the VP Marketing for Sotheby's International Realty's global project marketing partner. He's taught graduate and undergraduate university courses in Marketing. And he's an experienced traveller, with strong opinions on how hotels and resorts can best develop and implement marketing programs that can drive real revenue. You can read his weekly marketing blog here: www.bcbusinessonline.ca/onebrand.
Job Titles:
- Principal
- Principal / Loyalty Club / Development
Mr. Ferdosi has been active and a leader in the Hospitality and Resort Development Industry since 1981. He has been an industry innovator in the Marketing and Sales field and has been involved with the development and ownership of numerous projects Worldwide. His company Rodeo Partners, LLC has owned and operated Resorts in Mexico and Hawaii. At the present he is involved with projects in Canada, Caribbean, Central/South America and various States in the USA. fferdosi@iconichospitality.com
A long-time veteran of the travel and hospitality industry, Ingrid has her own management, marketing and brand consulting firm specializing in hotel operations. Ingrid's ability is to challenge the norm, and think in new creative ways - while ensuring the goal is kept in focus has afforded her positions and opportunities allowing her contribution to impact company direction, and resulted in successful business change. She returned to the Okanagan to raise her young family in 2007 after 13 years with Canadian Pacific and Fairmont Hotels, in successive positions at Hotel Vancouver, Chateau Whistler, Waterfront Centre, Hotel Macdonald, The Palliser and The Fairmont Empress. Ingrid was also a key visionary in the redevelopment of The Laurel Point Inn. Ingrid owned and operated her own company in the agri-tourism field as well as strategic planning and brand development. Ingrid's leadership skills are strong, developing operations, and identifying the unfair advantage in both operations and marketing destinations are key strengths.
Michael Gasta is a 35 year hospitality veteran. He started in the hospitality industry in the Monterey/Pebble Beach area with privately owned hotels and country clubs. In 1977 he joined Hilton Hotels in San Francisco and then Los Angeles. In 82 Gasta was promoted to the Las Vegas Hilton where he spent several years in Food & Beverage and Sales & Marketing. In 98 he was promoted to the corporate offices for the same company renamed Park Place Entertainment as regional sales and marketing VP overseeing the company's sales efforts for all of the Nevada properties totaling 18,000 rooms. In 2002 he formed America's Guest, a Hospitality sales and marketing firm, specializing in exclusive high end event and meeting planning, group sales, specialty marketing and entertainment, working with clients and properties world wide. He has been a consultant to various Hotel companies and brings a broad and vast knowledge, understanding and contacts in the Hospitality industry
Job Titles:
- Integro Insurance, Managing Director
For almost a decade, Sonya was the Director of Public Relations at The Fairmont Chateau Whistler. Through her own company, Sonya has also worked as a consultant with a wide variety of travel and tourism industry clients throughout Canada including the Canadian Tourism Commission and Fairmont Hotels & Resorts.
Job Titles:
- Design Professionals
- Graphic Arts and Marketing
Tammy Brown leads a team of design professionals to create effective collateral. With over 20 years of experience she is a highly versatile designer and marketing strategist. Tammy supports Iconic Hospitality and their members by both directing and creating marketing collateral where needed, helping clients realize their vision, and working to create the desired outcome. She specializes in marketing the tourism experience and has been called upon to develop projects for industry giants such as Intrawest and Expedia. Situated near the base of beautiful Grouse Mountain in North Vancouver, her studio is a hub for the designers and programmers she works with daily.