Sydney-based hotel company, TFE Hotels, has announced a raft of key General Manager appointments across their Australian and New Zealand network.
Nigel Maxey is the new General Manager of Vibe Hotel Melbourne Docklands; Emma Sutherland is the new General Manager at Vibe Hotel Sydney Darling Harbour and Christian Price has been appointed General Manager for TFE Hotels’ five brands – The Interlude, Adina Apartment Hotel Melbourne Pentridge, North & Common, Olivine and Chapter Place events – at the redeveloped $1b Pentridge lifestyle precinct.
In other News, Lucy Ockleston has been seconded into a Cluster role in Darwin; Sid Bhatia is the new Hotel General Manger at Vibe Hotel Gold Coast; Diana Quinones-Silva has moved to Hotel Kurrajong Canberra; Ben Saxton will lead the team at A by Adina Canberra; Andrew Edwards has moved to Quincy Hotel Melbourne and Jolanta Prusek will head the team at Adina Apartment Hotel Surry Hills.
In speaking about the appointments, TFE Hotels’ Senior Director of Operations ANZ, Tish Nyar, said it was fantastic to see several of his team making significant moves into larger more complex properties.
Nigel Maxey – Hotel General Manager, Vibe Hotel Melbourne Docklands
Following the announcement that TFE Hotels will operate a second hotel in Melbourne with the newly rebranded Vibe Hotel Melbourne Docklands set to open on 8 April, the Sydney-based hotel company has announced Nigel Maxey as General Manager of the 273-room hotel.
Nigel has been with TFE for six years, most recently as the Cluster General Manager for Adina Melbourne on Flinders and Adina Melbourne. Prior to this, Nigel was the opening General Manager of Adina Southbank where the hotel opened and secured strong base-business and a key member of the Victorian relief team.
Christian Price – Hotel General Manager, Destination Pentridge
Christian Price has been appointed General Manager for TFE Hotels’ five brands – The Interlude, Adina Apartment Hotels Melbourne Pentridge, North & Common, Olivine and Chapter Place events – at the redeveloped $1b Pentridge lifestyle precinct.
Christian is very well known for building high performing teams with a strong culture and shared vision. Never one to shy away from a challenge, Christian, with the support of his team, opened Quincy Hotel Melbourne during Melbourne’s protracted pandemic lockdowns, leading Quincy, and its F&B outlets – Salted Egg and The Q – to achieve industry recognition.
Lucy Ockleston – Cluster Hotel General Manager, Adina Apartment Hotel Darwin Waterfront / Vibe Hotel Darwin Waterfront and Travelodge Resort Darwin
Lucy Ockleston has been seconded from her current role as General Manager of Travelodge Resort Darwin into the role of Cluster Hotel General Manager supporting Adina Apartment Hotel / Vibe Hotel Darwin Waterfront and the Travelodge in Australia’s Top End.
Lucy is an incredible asset to the TFE team over the past twelve years, displaying exceptional leadership and dedication in roles across the business including stints at Adina West Melbourne and Travelodge Hotel Newcastle.
Diana Quinones-Silva – Hotel General Manager, Hotel Kurrajong Canberra
Diana Quinones-Silva has made the move to the nation’s capital to take on the role as Hotel General Manager at the historic Hotel Kurrajong in Canberra.
Diana has had an impressive 15-year career journey with TFE, that started at Travelodge Hotel Wynyard and saw her work across the Vibe, Adina, and Travelodge brands, most recently as Cluster General Manager of the Adina Hotels at Bondi and Coogee.
Diana has a reputation for delivering strong financial results, high performing teams, and excellent guest experiences. Earlier this year, she was selected as the inaugural Go Global participant, which saw her spend three months working across TFE’s European hotel network.
Andrew Edwards – Hotel General Manager, Quincy Hotel Melbourne
Andrew Edwards has been appointed as General Manager of Quincy Hotel Melbourne, following a 12-month stint in the GM chair at Adina Southbank.
Andrew started his TFE career journey 10 years ago as Guest Service Manager at Rendezvous Hotel Melbourne before transferring to Travelodge Hotel Southbank. During his tenure, he has worked with the Adina brand across Melbourne, provided relief coverage in Adelaide and worked as part of the pre-opening team at Quincy.
Ben Saxton – Hotel General Manager, A by Adina Canberra
No stranger to the nation’s capital, TFE has welcomed Ben Saxton as Hotel General Manager at the flagship A by Adina Canberra. Ben has spent 12 years with TFE working across multiple brands and locations including Canberra, Adelaida, Sydney and Germany.
Most recently, Ben has led the team at Adina Apartment Hotel Surry Hills, where he has consistently drove hotel performance, team engagement, and sought new business during challenging times. Ben also spearheaded the Adina’s colourful property activation for World Pride 2023, earning the property public recognition and Ben an internal Stronger Together Award.
Emma Sutherland – Hotel General Manager, Vibe Hotel Sydney Darling Harbour
Emma Sutherland has taken on her first Hotel Manager role as the newly appointed General Manager of Vibe Hotel Sydney Darling Harbour. Emma started at TFE in 2017 as a Duty Manager and with her natural aptitude and operations capability has quickly progressed through the ranks.
During her almost 7-year tenure with TFE, Emma has supported the opening of Vibe Hotel North Sydney, completed a 2-month secondment in the L&OD team, and played a key role in the roll-out of Office 365 at TFE Hotels. She led the team at Travelodge Wynyard through the pandemic and subsequent closure following the change of ownership.
Over the past 12-months, Emma has taken on secondment roles as Executive Assistant Manager and, most recently, Acting Hotel General Manager at A by Adina Sydney, where she was instrumental in driving continuous improvement and efficiency in operations.
Sid Bhatia – Hotel General Manager, Vibe Hotel Gold Coast
TFE Hotels stalwart, Sid Bhatia, has been appointed the new Hotel General Manager of Vibe Hotel Gold Coast. Sid has considerable history with TFE, initially supporting our New Zealand teams as the Hotel Manager at Travelodge Wellington in 2014 before moving across to Christchurch in late 2015 to become the General Manager at Rendezvous.
In 2018, Sid was appointed Cluster General Manager in Darwin overseeing the Adina, Vibe and Travelodge brands in the Top End. During his tenure, Sid brought transformative change to property performance and service offerings including the full refurbishment of Travelodge Darwin in the peak of pandemic.
During his time in the NT, Sid has been a fundamental driver of the Indigenous Engagement Program, building stronger and lasting connections with our Indigenous Community.
Jolanta Prusek – Hotel General Manager, Adina Apartment Hotel Surry Hills
With seven years of service under her belt across multiple TFE brands and locations, Jolanta Prusek has been appointed as General Manager at Adina Apartment Hotel Surry Hills. Jolanta was part of the pre-opening team for A by Adina Sydney (in an EAM role), before moving to Canberra and her first General Manager gig with the flagship A by Adina Canberra.
In speaking about the appointments, TFE Hotels’ Senior Director of Operations ANZ, Tish Nyar, said it was fantastic to see several of his team making significant moves into larger more complex properties.
“Their development over the past few years in strategic management and proving their abilities in managing complex challenging operational issues has placed them in the optimal position to take on these new positions,” he said. “I am looking forward to seeing what they will bring to their new operations in the years to come.”
