Slated to open this summer, the AC Hotel Los Angeles South Bay, a new build Marriott lifestyle hotel with a rooftop restaurant and bar, announces the appointment of three dynamic team members.
Welcome Group, Inc., the El Segundo-based hospitality group behind the South Bay’s most buzzed about new property, has named Victoria “Tory” Coursen as Assistant General Manager, Hector E. Martinez as Director of Sales and Marketing, and Alexis Hansen as Director of Food and Beverage.
“I’m proud of the all-star opening team we have assembled,” said Ahmed Elassy, AC Hotel Los Angeles South Bay’s General Manager. “They represent some of the best and brightest players in the hospitality business, while also channeling the same enthusiasm and energy to match the contemporary hotel brand we’re introducing to the market. I’m confident that the hotel opening, supported by this fresh-faced roster of talent, is going to be a slam dunk.”
Tory Coursen chose to trade in the snow of Colorado for the sun of SoCal to serve as the Assistant General Manager at AC Hotel Los Angeles South Bay. Since receiving her Bachelors degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management, Coursen has spent the last nine years honing both her hospitality craftsmanship and leadership skills with Four Seasons in five different locations including Beverly Hills, Santa Barbara and Denver. In her new role, she will oversee hotel operations and the guest experience. Coursen, an avid traveler, looks forward to welcoming guests from around the globe at the newest AC property.
Hector Martinez, a longtime South Bay resident and the 3rd generation in his family to work in hospitality, brings 14 years of professional experience to his new role as AC Hotel Los Angeles South Bay’s Director of Sales and Marketing. Martinez started his career in the industry as a Front Desk Agent at the Renaissance Los Angeles Airport and has worked his way up at a number of hotels including the Hilton Long Beach, Residence Inn Long Beach Waterfront, and most recently as the Associate Director of Sales at Long Beach Marriott. In his new role, Martinez will be responsible for leading sales strategies, marketing initiatives, and maximizing revenue streams. Both a father and a foodie, Martinez is stoked about being a part of an evolving hospitality scene in his own backyard.
Given a genuine passion for people, all things F&B, and old-fashioned, Southern hospitality, Alexis Hansen may have found her dream job as the Director of Food and Beverage at AC Hotel Los Angeles South Bay. With a decade of experience, Hansen brings positivity and creativity to every task, and will oversee all F&B operations at the property from the European breakfast spread at the AC Kitchen, to business lunches at the AC Lounge to Happy Hour around the fire pit at the hotel’s rooftop restaurant and bar. She graduated from University of North Carolina Charlotte and honed her skills working for various hospitality establishments including 1212 Santa Monica, Delaware North, the foodservice operator of Petco Park stadium in San Diego, and most recently, Blackhouse Hospitality Group. Hansen’s entrepreneurial spirit, a keen sense of humor and a love of being in the kitchen will ensure that the AC Hotel Los Angeles South Bay’s F&B programming will not only be on top of the industry’s most cutting edge trends but also executed in a flawless and friendly manner.
The 180-room AC Hotel Los Angeles South Bay, from design-led European lifestyle hotel brand AC Hotels by Marriott®, will open its doors in summer of 2019, and follow with the debut of its lively rooftop dining destination later in the season. Located minutes from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), the sleek property will provide sophisticated accommodations for business and leisure travelers, as well as serve as a new social hub to meet and eat for residents and companies local to the bustling South Bay region.
