Highgate, a premier real estate investment and hospitality management company, has appointed Cheryl Williams as regional vice president of sales and marketing in Hawaii. Williams will oversee Highgate’s expanding portfolio of Hawaii properties.
ÒCheryl is known for her strategic focus, customer relationships and creative thinking, which have led to market-leading results in her previous leadership roles,Ó said Steve Barick, the chief operating officer of Highgate. ÒWe look forward to her leadership in our six Hawaii properties, including the newly launched ÔAlohilani Resort Waikiki Beach.Ó
Williams has served as a leader in the hospitality industry for more than three decades, most recently as the general manager of The Royal Hawaiian in Waikiki. Previously, she was the vice president of sales and marketing for Starwood Hotels & Resorts in Hawaii and French Polynesia.
In 2010, after 28 years in Hawaii, Williams moved to Starwood’s corporate headquarters in Stamford, Conn., where she led leisure sales and distribution for the North America division. She was selected as one of 25 women to serve on the company’s Women’s Leadership Group. She returned to Hawaii in 2013.
ÒHighgate’s diverse portfolio of Hawaii properties represents a unique opportunity to create highly personalized guest experiences inspired by the rich culture and history of the Hawaiian Islands,Ó Williams said. ÒI am excited to welcome hotel guests toÊHawaii and ensureÊthatÊweÊmaintain Highgate’sÊstature as the global gold standard for travel and hospitality.Ó
Williams has earned numerous recognitions in the hospitality industry. She was named by Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International as one of the world’s ÒTop 25 Most Extraordinary Minds in Hospitality & Travel Sales & Marketing.Ó She also helped launch the Aloha Chapter of Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and has since been honoured with the MPI Aloha Chapter Founders Award. She was a finalist for the Pacific Business
News Businesswoman of the Year in 2014 and was recently honoured by Pacific Edge Magazine for her contributions to Hawaii’s visitor industry.
Williams serves on the boards of the Oahu Visitors Bureau, Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau, and the Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Association, and she chairs the Hawaii Tourism Authority MCI Strategic Planning Committee. She is also an advisory trustee of ALS Golden West Chapter and is a board member of Susan G. Komen Hawaii.
