Fontainebleau Las Vegas announces executive hires

December 27, 2022 1:57 PM
  • Buck Wargo, CDC Gaming Reports
December 27, 2022 1:57 PM
  • Buck Wargo, CDC Gaming Reports

Fontainebleau Las Vegas has announced several executive appointments for the property that’s scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of 2023.

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Among the appointments are Colleen Birch as chief operating officer; Stephen Singer, chief financial officer; Daniel Espino, chief people officer; Marc Guarino, chief technology officer; and Stacie Michaels, general counsel.

Birch will oversee all day-to-day operations. She’s recognized for her 13-year tenure at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, where she opened the resort in 2010 and served as senior vice president of revenue optimization.
She brings more than 25 years of experience in hotel operations, revenue optimization, and customer- relationship marketing to her role. She has worked closely with all departments throughout her career, gaining experience through her relationships with convention and conference services, brand marketing, food and beverage, entertainment, reservations, and front-office operations.

Born and raised in Las Vegas, Singer oversees operational strategy, content and programming, financial reporting and analysis, revenue optimization, processes and controls, and profitability. He previously served as executive vice president of acquisitions and capital markets for Fontainebleau Development. His knowledge of the property and ability to demonstrate its value and potential was instrumental in Fontainebleau’s partnership with Koch Real Estate Investments and their acquisition of the property in 2021.

Singer’s expertise in finance, accounting, strategic business planning, negotiations, and partnerships comes from more than a decade of experience serving in senior strategy roles for private real estate and development firm Witkoff, Paragon Gaming, and the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

Espino is responsible for developing the human-capital strategy for the property, working directly with executive leadership to design the organizational culture and growth objectives. Espino is a seasoned human-resources executive who previously served more than 12 years as chief people officer for the Cosmopolitan. He’s also held roles as executive vice president of human resources for Crunch Fitness, director of safety and security for Mandarin Oriental Group, and regional director of human resources for Morgans Hotel Group and Ian Schrager Hotels.

Guarino has been a driving force for the development and advancement of hospitality and gaming technologies for more than 25 years and brings a broad-based perspective to his role, defining, developing, and executing the technology vision for Fontainebleau. He most recently served as senior vice president and chief information officer of Brookfield Asset Management’s Atlantis Paradise Island, and in global and regional senior roles for Alon Leisure Management, SBE, Cenium Hospitality, Colony Resorts, and Wynn Resorts.

Michaels most recently was a partner at Argentum Law in Las Vegas and spent 10 years with Wynn Las Vegas, where she began as corporate counsel and rose to the rank of senior vice president and general counsel. She oversees all legal matters for the Fontainebleau, including contracts, negotiations, and compliance, while providing legal advice and strategy to the executive team and advising on legislation and legal rights that impact the property.

Michaels is a graduate of New York Law School, graduating in the top 2% of her class and serving as Symposia Editor of the New York Law School Law Review. She serves on the board of trustees for the Meadows School and on the board of trustees for Discovery Children’s Museum.