Fernando Estala is the Director of Sales & Marketing for the newly minted Austin Marriott Downtown.  As the opening director for the hotel, Fernando has owned the sales efforts while also spearheading the marketing roll out that has positioned the hotel as Austin’s newest convention hotel.  A seasoned hotel veteran, Fernando has spent over 20 years in hotel sales, event management, and convention & visitors bureaus.  A graduate of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, his passion for the industry started when he accepted a position in high school at the El Paso Marriott.  Fernando specializes in large-scale hotel sales and events and has honed his skills at some of Marriott’s largest convention hotels including the San Diego Marriott Marquis, NY Marriott Marquis, the Washington Marriott Wardman Park, Indianapolis JW, and Indianapolis Marriott.  Fernando has been recognized as a CMP since 2003 and also holds CASE certification from PCMA since 2005.