Some significant hotel industry executive changes were announced today. Most surprisingly, perhaps, former US Franchise Systems, Days Inn and Holiday Inn chief Mike Leven was named president and COO of Las Vegas Sands. He replaces long-time gaming executive William Weidner.

Leven has been on the company’s board of directors since 2004 but doesn’t have any direct management experience in the hard-nosed casino-hotel segment of the business. Las Vegas Sands owns and operates three Las Vegas properties—The Venetian, The Palazzo and the Sands Expo and Convention Center—two casino hotels in Macao and the Four Seasons Macao. It’s also developing Sands-branded resorts in eastern Pennsylvania and in Singapore.

The moves at Marriott seem to be part of a larger succession plan at the hotel giant. Arne Sorenson, executive vice president, CFO and president of continental Europe operations, is now president and COO, replacing Bill Shaw, who becomes vice chairman. In addition, Carl Berquist, Marriott’s principal accounting officer, becomes CFO and an executive VP.