The Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa has announced the appointments of Maureen Holden as director of marketing and Mara Bonfeld as director of national accounts.
As director of marketing, Holden leads a myriad of efforts on behalf of Sawgrass including marketing, e-commerce and business development, strategic brand management, media buying, integrated marketing and more. She joined the resort from the Santa Claran Hotel Casino in Santa Fe, N.M., where she was executive director of marketing for the past two years.
Previously Holden held marketing, sales and communications positions across the U.S. and the Caribbean, including resort marketing communications director for Wyndham Caribbean Resorts; and director of advertising and public relations for Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. – the latter the final of four titles she held working with the Seminole Tribe of Florida in both corporate and operations roles. She was also promotions and special events manager for Palms Casino Resort and marketing manager for Palace Station Hotel & Casino, both in Las Vegas. Holden got her start as an advertising manager and media buyer at Circus-Circus Hotel Casino Theme Park in Las Vegas in 1994.
As director of national accounts, Bonfeld will be focused on accounts in the Northeast market and concentrate on boosting revenues from meetings and event clientele. She joined the resort following nearly two years as an independent business and event consultant in New York City, which remains her base of operations.
Previously, Bonfeld held a range of sales and meetings-related positions for various hotels and resorts including sales manager for Park Hyatt Beaver Creek in Avon, Colo.; national sales manager for Krisam Group in New York, representing 250 hotels and 65 DMCs worldwide; meeting operations manager of QED Communications, Inc. in Hawthorne, N.Y.; and associate director of meetings and symposia for Triclinica Communications in New York. She got her start back in 1995 organizing high-profile business conferences and advisory board meetings as a meeting planner with The Conference Board, also in New York.
Bonfeld has been active in many professional organizations including the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, and Meeting Professionals International.