Ones to Watch: Long Island Hospitality Firms

Long Island Business News, May 23, 2008 by Claude Solnik

Janine Dion

Director of Corporate Sales and Marketing

Crest Hollow Country Club

Dion is an important contact for setting up corporate as well as private events at this Woodbury facility with seven meeting rooms and 33,500 square feet of space. She is also founder and president of animal rescue organization Pet Peeves Inc., which raises money to promote no-kill animal shelters and education regarding humane practices toward animals.

Hillary Epstein

Special Events Manager

Dave & Buster's Islandia

Epstein joined Dave & Buster's in February 2007 after working with Syosset-based event planning firm CEG. At Dave & Buster's, she and her team design and book events ranging from large corporate functions and meetings to smaller, private parties. Bookings are growing by leaps and bounds, with the number of events held at this location up 50 percent this year over last. Cablevision, Motorola and CA over the past year have all held events there, as Epstein helps cater more to corporations and meetings than in the past. Epstein sings as part of a Fleetwood Mac tribute band and in an original rock band called the Basals. She also plays cello and piano on the side.

Denean Fontanetta

General Manager

Holiday Inn Express Stony Brook

Fontanetta started working at this hotel in 2002 as a sales manager and was soon promoted to director of sales. In November of 2007, she took the position of general manager. Fontanetta oversees staff and ensures established procedures are carried out in accordance with policies; she helps obtain optimal revenue levels from rooms while maintaining guest satisfaction.

Dean Marsh

General Manager

Long Island Strike Holdings Inc.

Marsh recently joined this Manhattan-based bowling and entertainment venue company to head up operations in Long Island at the New Hyde Park facility. He had worked in Washington D.C. for nine years as an area director for various restaurants. On Marsh's watch, Strike Long Island has been seeking to cater more to business and boosting its culinary offerings, recently rolling out a new menu which features additions to appetizers, sandwiches, entrees and desserts. Strike is opening its latest venue in Ocean County, Calif., this month.

Nasser Samman

General Manager

The Garden City Hotel

One of the local hospitality industry's best known figures, Samman has a long background at the Garden City Hotel. He started at the hotel in October of 1997 as director of food and beverage, in 1999 became director of operations and in 2001 was named general manager. Samman had worked at Hyatt Corp. for nine years and at Hilton International's Vista Hotel at the World Trade Center as part of a more than 20-year career in the hotel industry.