The Tennessean Hotel Announces Leadership Team Additions & Promotions

KNOXVILLE, TN, UNITED STATES, December 17, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Tennessean Hotel – an urban Knoxville gem presenting a perfect blend of bespoke European boutique hotel charm and warm Southern hospitality – and its Knoxville partner hotels, Marriott Knoxville Downtown and Hilton Knoxville, proudly announce new leadership, poising the properties to close out a successful year and embark on 2026 with a strong, seasoned team in-place. Alexandra Flora Erdei joins as the new Area Marketing Manager and Bradley Kestler comes on-board as an Area Catering Sales Manager, while veteran employees Becky Vidal and Erica Greene Johnson step into new roles as Director of Catering and Area Director of Convention Services, respectively.

“Overseeing three hotels in downtown Knoxville including The Tennessean, which is the only AAA Four-Diamond Hotel in the market, our leadership team plays a pivotal role in meeting both the meetings and conventions and leisure demands of our growing destination,” said Paul Jordan, area general manager, Aimbridge Hospitality. “With two new team members bringing notable past experiences and connections and two of our long-time, dedicated employees accepting promotions into more prominent positions, our properties are set-up for an excellent year ahead and are ready to continue exceeding our guests’ expectations.”

Alexandra Flora Erdei, Area Marketing Manager
In her role as the new Area Marketing Manager, Erdei oversees marketing operations for the three hotels and the Maker Exchange complex. Her background includes several years of international experience in both sales and marketing, and she brings hospitality skills honed during her tenure with the airline industry. In her new role, Erdei serves as the point of contact for all marketing efforts. She holds an MBA in Digital Business and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Vienna, Austria. With a proven ability to craft compelling marketing content, she brings a creative and strategic mindset to elevate the hotels’ presence and guest engagement.

Bradley Kestler, Area Catering Sales Manager
With over 20 years of leadership experience spanning hospitality, logistics and business operations, Kestler joins the Aimbridge Hospitality team as the Area Catering Sales Manager for the Knoxville properties. As a proven strategist, he has a track record of optimizing revenue, improving operational efficiency, and developing high-performing teams across renowned brands, including Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott, and Hilton. With an MBA and a Bachelor of Science in Hotel & Lodging Management from Johnson & Wales University, Bradley is passionate about data-driven decision-making and operational excellence.

Becky Vidal, Area Director of Catering
Having worked with the hotels and progressed through sales and catering management roles for more than 18 years, Vidal is a lauded industry professional in the local market. She has been recognized as Manager of the Year (2023) and as Catering Director of the Year (2017) and has an impressive ability of creating unforgettable experiences through seamless event execution and strategic planning while driving revenue. Vidal holds a Bachelor of Science in Family and Consumer Sciences from the University of Mississippi. In her new director role, Vidal will oversee all catering and event sales for the three properties, with the goal of growing revenues throughout the collection, providing support for the catering sales manager and executive meeting manager, developing strategies to tap into new markets and maintaining current accounts.

Erica Greene Johnson, Area Director of Convention Services
A Knoxville native and alumnus of the University of Tennessee, Johnson has played a pivotal role in the local luxury hospitality market. With more than a decade of leadership roles with the complex hotels, Johnson has significantly contributed to the successful establishment of The Tennessean, Marriott Knoxville and Maker Exchange. Driven by a passion for creating extraordinary experiences, Johnson is an accomplished event planner. As Area Director of Convention Services for Hilton, Marriott, and The Tennessean, she will lead and execute large-scale corporate, non-profit, and city-wide events while optimizing event budgets, driving ROI and managing client-venue relationships.

Situated along the iconic World’s Fair Park and on the banks of the Tennessee River, The Tennessean Hotel is an indulgent experience steps from downtown Knoxville’s burgeoning culinary, arts and music scene. Gracious staff welcome guests to 82 opulent rooms and suites steeped in southern hospitality with unexpected amenities from butler service and customized concierge offerings to artisan-created works adorning the polished spaces and the only tea service tradition in the region. The refined Drawing Room, along with the modern Tavern at Maker Exchange, deliver seasonally enticing crafted beverages and locally-sourced bites with a twist.

For more information about The Tennessean Hotel, call 865.232.1800 or visit online at https://www.thetennesseanhotel.com and on Instagram and Facebook.

The Tennessean Hotel Media Contact
The Mayfield Group
+1 850-421-9007
email us here
Visit us on social media:
Instagram
Facebook

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.