Speer-Headed
Kevin Speer, the affable manager of Beanie Baby billionaire Ty Warner‘s Coral Casino, is celebrating his 25th anniversary in the role.
But his career at the beachside club came about by chance.
“Chris Hart, the former general manager of the resort, asked me to come over to the club from the hotel to correct some shortcomings,” explains Kevin. “Since I had a food and beverage background, I was given overnight to make the decision, and like clockwork he called me the next morning, and I said yes.”
Hart promised to bring Kevin back to the hotel in another capacity if he would give a two-year commitment, and the rest, as they say, is history.
“I have given at least 25 years because I love the membership and really wanted to be part of the historical rehabilitation that Ty Warner and his team executed to fruition.
“Had I known 25 years ago I would still be here today, I would have started a journal to write the book of a lifetime!”
Director’s Chair
Los Angeles developer Rick Caruso, whose new 161-room, six-restaurant Rosewood Miramar Beach resort is scheduled to open in the New Year, has appointed veteran hotelier Sean Carney as managing director.
Carney, who has more than two decades of experience in the hospitality industry, was formerly managing director of the five-star Lough Eske Castle in Donegal, Ireland, and held a similar position at the Capella Marigot Bay on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia.
His colorful career has also included working at Caneel Bay, one of my favorite resorts on the U.S. Virgin island of St. John, a Ritz Carlton, and the Hilton Waikoloa Village in Hawaii.
A dual citizen of Ireland and the U.S., Carney holds a bachelor’s degree with honors in international hospitality management from Queen Margaret University College in Edinburgh, Scotland.
What a Knight
Montecito actor William Daniels, 91, thwarted burglars at his home in the San Fernando Valley.
The St. Elsewhere and Boys Meets World star disturbed the culprits while the crime was in progress.
William and his wife, Bonnie Bartlett, 89, were in the house when someone tried to kick in the back door in the evening.
Fortunately, when the Emmy-winner turned on the lights, the intruders fled, according to TMZ.
He also voiced Kitt, the car, in the popular TV series Knight Rider
