Hilton Hawaii has named Jay Marsella area director of sales and marketing.
Marsella oversees sales operations for both the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort in Honolulu and the Hilton Waikoloa Village on Hawaii Island. His responsibilities include driving group sales, developing sales strategies and leading a recently combined sales team at the two properties.
Marsella comes to Hawaii with more than 25 years of hospitality industry experience. He most recently led the sales and marketing efforts at the Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort and Spa in Ponte Vedra, Fla. Prior to that he was the preopening sales leader of the Marriott Marquis Houston, a 1,000-room convention hotel.
"I have always wanted to experience the Hawaiian culture, people and landscape," Marsella said in a statement. "In just a short time, I have been able to see just how rich and vibrant it really is. I am excited to begin my journey with both Hilton and Hawaii."
The Hilton Hawaiian Village offers more than 150,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space, and the Hilton Waikoloa Village boasts more than 120,000 square feet of on-site meeting, pre-function and exhibit facilities.