Dolce Hotels and Resorts, operator of 27 upscale hotels, resorts and conference hotels in North America and Europe, has appointed Stephen Bello corporate director of operations.

Bello, a 24-year hospitality veteran, is responsible for opening new hotels, resorts and conference hotels and integrating them into the Dolce system.  He also oversees the company's food-and-beverage initiatives and programs and currently serves as acting general manager of Lake Las Vegas Resort in Henderson, Nev., scheduled to open under Dolce management in February.

Prior to his appointment in November 2010, Bello served Dolce as general manager of the 168-room Lakeway Resort and Spa on Lake Travis in Austin, Texas.  From 2007 to 2009, he was managing director of Hawks Cay Resort, Duck Key, Fla., where he managed a $40 million renovation and developed a service culture to improve guest and employee experience.

Prior to that, he was corporate director of operations for RockResorts in Broomfield, Colo., where he acted as the asset manager for the company’s owned properties, provided leadership to the company’s owned and managed hotels and assessed new projects.  In that role, he helped the company develop a policy on sustainable business practices.

From 2004 to 2006, Bello was president of Classic Hospitality, a multiunit operator of five hotels and six restaurants located in metropolitan Washington, D.C.  From 2003 to 2004 he was general manager of The Madison Hotel in Washington. In 2002 he was general manager of The Hotel Hershey in Hershey, Pa., where he provided direction for a $30 million renovation.

He was general manager of Ritz-Carlton hotels in Philadelphia; Rancho Mirage, Calif.; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Amelia Island, Fla.; and Hawaii from 1993 to 2002.  He started his career as conference services manager at The Doubletree at Lincoln Center in Dallas in 1986 and was assistant food and beverage manager at Amelia Island Plantation from 1988 to 1989.

Bello was awarded a bachelor of science degree in hospitality management and culinary arts in 1980 from Johnson and Wales University, Providence, R.I.  He also studied real estate investment and financial accounting at Georgetown University, Washington.

Dolce Hotels and Resorts, founded in 1981, is majority-owned by Broadreach Capital Partners. The company, headquartered in Montvale, N.J., employs more than 4,000 worldwide. Additional information is available at www.dolce.com.

Dolce’s portfolio includes properties in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Colorado, California, Ontario, Texas, Nevada, Belgium, France, Spain and Germany.

As a leader in the meetings industry, Dolce hosts some 30,000 events and 4 million group clients globally every year.  The company’s founder pioneered the conference center concept and Complete Meeting Package, both now embraced as standards by the International Association of Conference Centers.

The company’s vision is to create inspiring environments that bring people together, and its mission is to delight its guests, challenge its associates, reward its owners and serve as a role model in its communities.