Highgate has appointed James Karabelas as the regional vice president of sales and marketing. Karabelas will lead the company’s sales and marketing team across its 10 properties and expanding portfolio in Hawaii. He reports to Kelly Sanders, executive vice president of operations for the Hawaii region.
With more than 20 years of experience, Karabelas joins Highgate from Aqua-Aston Hospitality, a business division of Marriott Vacations Worldwide where he served as the vice president of marketing for seven years, leading the company’s brand marketing, media, digital, ecommerce and marketing technology strategy for more than 30 properties. During his tenure, he oversaw the openings and rebrands of 10 independent and franchise properties managed by Aqua-Aston.
Prior to that Karabelas led the strategic development and management of e-commerce and digital marketing programs at Castle Hospitality. He also served as a senior strategist at Saatchi & Saatchi, a global advertising agency in New York. He currently serves on the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau marketing committee and is on the board of directors for Volcano Art Center.
Highgate is a real estate investment and hospitality management company. It is the dominant player in major U.S. gateway cities including New York, Boston, Miami, San Francisco and Honolulu, with a growing footprint in Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America.
In Hawaii, Highgate owns and/or operates 10 hotels: ‘Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach, Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel, Park Shore Waikiki, Ambassador Hotel Waikiki, Pearl Hotel Waikiki, Hilton Garden Inn Waikiki Beach, Courtyard by Marriott Waikiki Beach, Pagoda Hotel Honolulu, Renaissance Honolulu Hotel and Royal Lahaina Resort & Bungalows.
For more details, visit www.highgate.com.
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