[Los Angeles, California | November 29, 2022] – Rob Ciancimino and Melissa Volpert have been appointed to Managing Director and Director of Sales and Marketing, respectively at The Georgian; the soon-to-reopen historic hotel located on Ocean Avenue.
Set to unveil in January 2023, The Georgian has been a fixture of the Southern California coastline since it first opened in 1933 under the leadership of the renowned female hotelier, Rosamond Borde. Seeing several iterations over the years, regular guests to the hotel and historic restaurant, the Red Griffin (and later The Georgian Room), ranged from Hollywood stars Charlie Chaplin, Clark Gable, and Marilyn Monroe to the First Mother Rose Kennedy.
A hospitality impresario and vintage motorcycle aficionado, Rob Ciancimino comes to The Georgian, most recently serving as Managing Partner at both Verse Restaurant and Intro Art Gallery & Chef’s Table. Rob is a true hospitality veteran with over 25 years of restaurant and hospitality experience including time at the world renowned live music venue The Sayers Club as well as time overseeing Bars & Restaurants at The W. Rob has a deep passion for leadership and teambuilding, and his unique hands-on approach to the overall hospitality experience will be crucial for building the high touchpoint, luxury service model that guests will experience at The Georgian.
“With years of experience overseeing globally recognized hospitality and culinary venues, Rob C’s wide reaching experience married with his deep rooted passion for all things hospitality make him the guiding lighthouse for The Georgian team. We’re so excited to watch as he continues to build and evolve both our team and hotel culture as we reopen our doors to Ocean Ave,” says Nicolo Rusconi, co-founder, and President of BLVD.
Melissa Volpert brings over 30 years of experience in hospitality sales and marketing, with a focus on entertainment,
fashion, and art. In 1997, she was the very first employee of the Standard brand and, alongside Andre Balazs, played a key role in the creation of the iconic hotel company that revolutionized the industry. In her role as the Director of Sales and Marketing at the Standard, Hollywood, she managed all sales and marketing initiatives with an emphasis on building and maintaining guest relationships, strategic planning, cultural programming, partnerships, and market positioning.
“Melissa is the perfect representation of the culture and community we are looking to build at The Georgian – one that crosses all culturally relevant art, fashion, and design communities around the world. She is deeply passionate and inspired to make The Georgian one of the preeminent destinations for global tastemakers and her personal taste in global culture sets the standard here at The Georgian.” shares, Jon Blanchard, Founder of BLVD.
A full-service real estate and hotel development company, BLVD alongside ESI Ventures acquired the landmark hotel in August 2020 with the intent to restore one of Los Angeles’ most recognizable and photogenic hotels to its former glory. The next chapter for The Georgian will see a restoration of the 84 guest rooms and 28 suites, alongside new and refreshed offerings including the famous ocean-view Sunset Terrace, Dining Room, and Sunset Bar. In addition to The Library and gymnasium, The Georgian will also be home to two private meeting and dining spaces, The Gallery and The Writer’s Room. The Gallery will showcase an evolving curation of work by international artists on a quarterly basis.
BLVD and ESI Ventures are proud to work with renowned international design firm, Fettle; local architect, HLW; California General contract, BCCI; and numerous other industry-leading design, development, and hospitality firms on the historic restoration of The Georgian.
