The Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa has announced the appointments of Maureen Holden as Director of Marketing and Mara Bonfeld as Director of National Accounts. Together they bring nearly two decades of experience in the hospitality realm, with success in sales, meeting operations, marketing, advertising, public relations, promotions and special events.

“We are pleased to welcome Maureen and Mara to The Sawgrass Marriott family. Their background, experience and passion for the hospitality industry makes them great additions to our team and the Ponte Vedra community,” said Tom Manno, General Manager at The Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa. “We look forward to their leadership and continued success at our newly refreshed resort.”

Maureen Holden

As Director of Marketing, Maureen Holden leads a myriad of efforts on behalf of Sawgrass including marketing, e-commerce and business development, strategic brand management, media buying, integrated marketing and more. She joined the resort from the Santa Claran Hotel Casino in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she was Executive Director of Marketing for the past two years.

Previously Holden held marketing, sales and communications positions across the U.S. and the Caribbean, including Resort Marketing Communications Director for Wyndham Caribbean Resorts; and Director of Advertising and Public Relations for Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

Holden earned a BS degree in Travel & Tourism Marketing from Johnson & Wales University.

Mara Bonfeld

As Director of National Accounts, Mara Bonfeld will be focused on accounts in the Northeast market and concentrate on boosting revenues from meetings and event clientele. She joined the resort following nearly two years as an independent business and event consultant in New York City, which remains her base of operations.

Previously, Bonfeld held a range of sales and meetings-related positions for various hotels and resorts including Sales Manager for Park Hyatt Beaver Creek in Avon, Colorado; National Sales Manager for Krisam Group in New York, representing 250 hotels and 65 DMCs worldwide; Meeting Operations Manager of QED Communications, Inc. in Hawthorne, New York; and Associate Director of Meetings and Symposia for Triclinica Communications in New York.

Bonfeld earned a BA in Economics from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, and studied Meeting and Conference Management and Event Marketing at New York University.

Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa, www.sawgrassmarriott.com