The Team at Hotel Chandler
Meet Our Staff
Meet the group of guest service-focused hospitality professionals that make Hotel Chandler a classic, clean and comfortable boutique hotel.
Hotel Chandler Staff Bios
Kate Martin – General Manager
Kate has been employed by Triumph Hotels since September of 1999. Born in Greece, where she began her career working in five-star resorts, she relocated to England to take up her studies in Hotel and Catering Management. In England, Kate worked with Inter-Continental Hotels of the World at several of their London-based properties. Upon completion of her degree she continued on to Toronto, Canada, to complete a one-year course in Hotel Management. She then joined the five-diamond Righa Royal Hotel in New York (now Hotel London) as Assistant Front Office Manager. In late 1999, Kate began working with the Iroquois Hotel as the Front Office Manager. Kate has progressed within Triumph Hotels through various management positions. In September 2010 she re-joined Hotel Chandler as General Manager, nine years after being part of the original opening team at the same property.
Alicja Turula – Director of Revenue Management
Beginning in her native country, Poland, Alicja began her career in the histopathology department at City Hospital. During this time she graduated from medical school and following this completed her MSL in Law. In 1992, Alicja and family repositioned themselves in the US after which she started her hospitality career at the front desk of The Iroquois Hotel. She has since excelled with Triumph Hotel Group and has climbed her way up to Director of Revenue, for Triumph Hotels. She was also a finalist for the Frank W. Berkman Tourism Achievement Award, in the category of Revenue Management Executive of the Year, at the 2012 HSMAI of Greater New York Chapter Awards of Excellence.
Millie Torres – Front Office Manager
A native of Morocco, Millie speaks five languages fluently. She studied German at the Goethe Institute and tourism at ISITT in Morocco. After moving to the US, she also studied Hospitality and Tourism Management at NYU. Millie has worked in high-end properties around the world in cities such as Paris, London and Casablanca. Millie is a long-standing member of the management team at Hotel Chandler and has been instrumental in guest service standards at Hotel Chandler since her arrival in 2002.
Renata Maslach-Sroka – Director of Housekeeping
Continuing in the vein of European management at Hotel Chandler, Renata is from Poland. She graduated with her degree in Hospitality Management from the New York City College of Technology. After a three-year spell as Assistant Director of Housekeeping at the Time Hotel in New York, Renata joined Triumph Hotels in 2004. She started as a Assistant Housekeeping Manager at The Washington Jefferson Hotel before joining Hotel Chandler in December of 2010 as Director of Housekeeping.
Gary Skeet – Director of Engineering
Born in Mt. Vernon, New York, Gary has worked for 14-plus years in the New York Tri-State region. He began his hospitality career as a Security Officer and subsequently developed into Fire Safety Director. He has gained valuable experience with several luxury properties including Ritz Carlton Central Park, The Sofitel and The Muse. He commenced his training under the supervision of the Chief Engineering Director at The Muse Hotel, and it was this interaction that sparked his interest in the engineering field. Gary joined Hotel Chandler as Director of Engineering in early 2012, and is a highly valuable asset to the team.
Farah Mounji – Reservations Manager
Born and raised in Morocco, Farah moved to the US in 1997 after graduating with her BA in Hotel Management to work with Disney at Disney World in guest relations. In 2007, Farah joined the Iroquois Hotel in the reservation department; she progressed through Assistant Reservation Manager to Reservation Manager after two years with the company. She oversees the reservation department for four of the Triumph Hotels Group’s properties.
Charlie Loor – Chief Concierge
Born and raised in New York City, Charlie graduated from John Jay College with an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice, but quickly decided to pursue a career in hospitality. Charlie began his hospitality career with City Experts in Manhattan. While working for City Experts, he served several Manhattan Hotels and quickly made a name for himself with in the industry. While serving these properties, he built key relationships with New York’s hottest spots. Charlie brought these relationships to Hotel Chandler in 2012.