DOMESTIC
Miami Beach Resort & Spa, an LXR Luxury Resorts & Hotels property, has hired Craig Tooker as its executive chef. Tooker comes from the Kingston Plantation in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where he was the executive chef …

Yvonne Liu has been named catering manager at the InterContinental Mark Hopkins San Francisco. Liu comes from the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco, where she was the catering sales manager …

The Hilton Hartford, in Hartford, Connecticut, has appointed Jennifer C. Hughes as director of catering. Hughes has more than a decade of experience in the hospitality industry and was most recently the executive suites and event manager at the XL Center in Hartford …

The Circular Dining Room at the Hotel Hershey in Hershey, Pennsylvania, has achieved AAA Four-Diamond status for the twentieth consecutive year. The restaurant has received this honor every year since the inception of the Four- Diamond dining award in 1988 …

C4 Restaurant & Bar at the Clarendon Hotel in Phoenix has a new southwestern- focused menu featuring locally grown and produced ingredients. Dishes include Roasted Corn & Poblano Chowder with Cilantro Crema and Tobacco Onions, and Borracho Bread Pudding with Tequila Orange Sauce …

Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, has opened Chef’s Table, described as a “luxury dining showcase experience.” It’s a 30-seat restaurant arranged to showcase the cooking process for guests, including state-of-the-art kitchen appliances and the latest video recording equipment for live broadcasts and production of takehome DVDs for guests of their dinner event …

The culinary team from the Willard InterContinental Washington in Washington, D.C., placed first among five hotels in the U.S. Inaugural MLA Black Box Culinary Challenge. Each team was given a “black box” of secret ingredients and 24 hours to develop a three-course menu, which was judged on preparation, presentation, innovation, and taste. The Willard InterContinental’s winning entrée was Outback Spirit Spice-Rubbed Beef with Portobello Duxelles, Sweet Potato, Asparagus, Pulled Beef, Bleu Cheese, and Ravioli, with Natural Jus. They will represent the United States in the global finals in Dubai in May…

InterContinental Tampa has hired Robert Hayden as senior catering manager and Jenni Nelson as the catering manager. Hayden was most recently the associate director of catering at the Sandpearl Resort in Clearwater Beach, Florida, while Nelson comes from the Westin Tampa Harbour Island Hotel in Tampa, where she was catering sales manager …

The Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers has named John DiMartini as executive chef. DiMartini has nearly 20 years of culinary experience and was most recently the executive chef at the Renaissance Chicago O’Hare Suites Hotel…

The Inn at Bay Harbor in Bay Harbor, Michigan, has added two to its food and beverage team: Tim Markey is the new director of food and beverage, and Mike Lutz is the new executive chef. Markey was previously the club manager at the Country Club of Boyne at Boyne Highlands Resort in Harbor Springs, Michigan, while Lutz was most recently the executive chef at Bay Harbor Golf Club…

Eugene Staples has been named the chef de cuisine of the Old House restaurant at the Eldorado Hotel & Spa in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Staples’ specialty is creating menus with local and seasonal ingredients. Prior to joining the Eldorado Hotel & Spa, Staples was the sous chef of Le Cirque at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas…

Renovations at the Sheraton Phoenix Airport Hotel Tempe are completed, including Fire + Spice, an upscale southwestern steakhouse with a menu specializing in ingredients and flavors from Arizona and New Mexico…

The Hyatt Regency Houston opened Texas’s first Shula’s Steakhouse in April. The outlet, named after former Miami Dolphins head coach Don Shula, will replace two of the property’s three restaurants and will serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The interior features three private dining rooms, walls decorated with sports memorabilia, and menus handpainted on official NFL game footballs…

Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, has opened Birches Bar & Grill inside the property’s Casino of the Earth. The outlet’s décor is inspired by Native American design, while the menu’s focus is on casual dining, with dishes like cedar plank salmon, turkey pot pie, and lobster mac and cheese …

Guests at the Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans can learn to make classic New Orleans cocktails like the Pimm’s Cup, Mint Julep, and Sazerac from Master Mixologist Chris McMillian in the hotel’s mixology class program. Prices are $125 per person…

Customers staying at the Hotel Vintage Plaza in Portland, Oregon, have a chance to experience “Pinot in Portland.” The package includes two Riedel Pinot Noir glasses, a bottle of ’05 Chateau Bianca Pinot Noir (the hotel’s private label wine), a journal for tasting notes, and a private session with Wine Director Lemmy Cooper. Rates start at $289 …

Monday night is “Bistro Burger” night at blue on blue, the restaurant in the Avalon Beverly Hills hotel. Chef Scott Garrett serves up six different 100 percent angus beef burgers with seasonal gourmet ingredients, including the Olympic burger topped with tempura onion rings, Maytag bleu cheese, and garlic aioli…

The Westin Lombard Yorktown Center in Lombard, Illinois, opened as the 150th Westin hotel worldwide and features Harry Caray’s Italian Steakhouse and Holy Mackerel!, a fresh seafood restaurant …

The Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville has opened three new dining outlets: Stax, a build-your-own-burger restaurant; Paisano’s, a Tuscan-style pizzeria; and Water’s Edge Marketplace Buffet, featuring flavors from around the world…

The Orlando World Center Marriott Resort & Convention Center in Orlando now has the largest pillar-free resort ballroom in the United States. The recently opened 105,000-square-foot Cypress Ballroom combines with the existing Palms Ballroom next door to create 150,000 square feet of contiguous pillar-free, carpeted meeting space. The addition of the Cypress Ballroom increases the property’s total event space to 450,000 square feet …

Construction is underway on the 21-story Hotel Palomar-Atlanta, a boutique property managed by Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group. The hotel will feature over 10,000-square-feet of meeting space and a destination restaurant. The grand opening is scheduled for May 2009 …

A 122-room Hotel Indigo is being built in Miami, Florida. Like other Hotel Indigos, the property will offer coffee and breakfast at the Golden Bean and a selection of salads, pizzettas, paninis, and seasonal entrées at the Phi Bistro. The hotel is expected to open in early 2008 …

The culinary team at Rio Mar Beach Resort and Spa in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, won a silver medal at the 9th Annual Culinary Super Challenge Team Competition in Orlando. Executive Chef Pablo Budet and his team members Ramon Carrillo, Luis Acevedo, and Anibal Rodriguez had five hours to prepare a four-course meal for 60 people, with every step closely monitored by judges from the American Culinary Federation…

Vic’s Steakhouse at the Mayfield Inn & Suites in Edmonton, Alberta, has opened, featuring a menu with locally grown Alberta beef, including Hazelnut and Brie Crusted Sirloin, Sweet Chili Steak, and Steak au Poivre in a Cognac Cream Sauce …

INTERNATIONAL
The Sheraton Cable Beach Resort in Nassau, Bahamas, has opened its new meeting facilities. Consisting of 25,000-square-feet of indoor and outdoor function space, it can accommodate events of up to 1,200 attendees. The largest area is a 12,500-square-foot ballroom, complemented by four additional breakout rooms …

Rosewood Little Dix Bay in the British Virgin Islands has hired Marcel Driessen as its executive chef and Stephane Duvacher as its food and beverage director. Driessen’s career spans 25 years and more than a half-dozen countries, including Lebanon, the Seychelles, Jordan, Croatia, and the Netherlands. He was most recently the executive chef at Sandy Lane Hotel & Golf Resort in Barbados. Duvacher has logged more than 22 years in Michelinrated restaurants throughout France and at top hotels in the Middle East. He was previously the culinary and food and beverage director at the five-star Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa in Dubai …

Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino has opened a Ruth’s Chris Steak House in the space that was previously the property’s Tuscany Italian restaurant. The outlet is part of a $40 million dollar renovation at the Aruba Marriott and will include two 16-seat private dining rooms featuring artwork by local artist Elisa Lejueuz.