Executive Team

In less than a year since the grand opening and under the direction of Kasikci, Montage Beverly Hills has already earned numeruous distinctions such as Robb Report’s 2009 “Best of the Best” award, Condé Nast Traveler’s “Hot List” and Travel + Leisure’s “It List.”

Prior to joining Montage in September 2007, Kasikci spent 16 years at the helm of The Peninsula Beverly Hills. Under his management, the hotel achieved some of the highest consistent ratings in the industry, including the prestigious Mobil Five Star and the AAA Five Diamond awards. The Peninsula Beverly Hills was the only hotel in Southern California to receive both awards for 14 consecutive years and earned Kasikci recognition as HOTELS Magazine’s 2004 Hotelier of the World, just one of numerous accolades he has received.

Committed to giving back and mentoring future hoteliers, Kasikci spends a significant amount of his spare time teaching a variety of senior Hospitality Management courses for the Dean’s Distinguished Lecture Series and the General Managers Program at Cornell University School of Hotel Administration.

Kasikci completed his apprenticeship in Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich, Germany and held senior management positions with leading hotels in Germany and with casino resorts in South Africa. His U.S. experience includes five years with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts in Newport Beach, California prior to joining The Peninsula Beverly Hills in 1992.

A graduate of the Hotel and Catering College in Tegernsee, Germany, he holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Claremont Graduate University Peter F. Drucker Graduate Management School in Claremont, California. He is also a certified Hotel Administrator, CHA, and a member of the Hotel Catering Institutional Management Association, HCIMA.

As an active community leader in Beverly Hills, Kasikci has been Chairman of the Visitors Bureau, President of the Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Mayor's Economic Advisory Committee, and the "Executive of the Year 1998."

He began his hotel career with Four Seasons in 1995 after a stint as an investment banker left him unfulfilled, holding a variety of positions at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel (Four Seasons) in Chicago until 2001, when he traveled to Egypt to serve as opening manager for the new Four Seasons Cairo. He returned to the U.S. with the Four Seasons Newport Beach, joining Montage Laguna Beach as front office manager prior to the resort's opening in 2003.

A native of Buffalo, New York, Hoffman spent his formative years in Chicago, Illinois, prior to relocating to Southern California. Hoffman graduated from Marquette University with a degree in business marketing.

Prior to joining Montage Beverly Hills, MacKillop served as the Director of Sales & Marketing at The Peninsula Beverly Hills. From 1999-2007, she was responsible for creating customer retention programs that generated record-breaking measurements of repeat guest visitation and guest loyalty. Previously, MacKillop worked with several boutique hotel companies in the Northwest, including Kimpton Hotel Group and The Sorrento Hotel.

Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, she attended Punahou School, followed by four years at Washington State University’s Edward R. Murrow School of Communications.

Her prior experience includes a stint at the Ciragan Palace Kempinski, Istanbul for a short time, after which Gizem moved to United States. In 2000, she joined The Peninsula Beverly Hills, where she held various positions for seven years. Most recently prior to joining Montage Beverly Hills, she was Director of Sales.

Originally from Istanbul, Turkey, Gizem graduated from Bosphorus University, Istanbul with a degree in Business Administration.

In 1985, Lucero was part of the opening housekeeping team at Rosewood Properties’ Crescent Court in Dallas, Texas. In 1993, she moved to Los Angeles and joined The Peninsula Beverly Hills, taking on increasingly challenging roles and responsibilities during 16-year career with the hotel. She spent the first seven years in the housekeeping department as an Assistant Housekeeper before quickly becoming Executive Housekeeper; during her last nine years, she was Human Resources Manager prior to becoming Director of Human Resources.

A native of the Philippines, Lucero is a graduate of the University of the East and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration.

Manca began his career with Carnival Cruise Lines, spending seven years as the First Officer of Engineering. After making Los Angeles his permanent residence, Manca spent the past 17 years as Director of Engineering at The Peninsula Beverly Hills.

A graduate of Istituto Tecnico Nautico S. Giorgio in Genova, Italy, Manca holds a degree in nautical engineering.

He began in London at a small seven-room inn and worked his way up to the position of Assistant General Manager at the Connaught. He then crossed the Atlantic to establish himself for more than 19 years as one of Manhattan’s most respected general managers. He spent four years as Manager at the Mayfair Regent, five years at the famed Carlyle, five more at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and then returned for another five years back at the Carlyle.

In 2003, Bowling left New York to become international Ambassador for The Peninsula Beverly Hills. In 2008, Managing Director Ali Kasikci brought Bowling to Montage Beverly Hills, where he delights guests with his charismatic personality and professional style.