NEWBERG, OR, July 21, 2008. A hotelier with a long career managing U.S. luxury hotels and resorts has been hired as general manager of The Allison Inn & Spa, set to open in northeast Newberg, Ore., in late summer 2009. The Allison is Oregon wine country's first luxury inn, spa, restaurant and conference center.

Pierre Zreik, who currently is general manager at Cavallo Point in Sausalito, Calif., will arrive in Newberg Aug. 1 to join Springbrook Properties, Inc., General Manager Sonja Haugen and her team. Springbrook is the development company for The Allison.

"We are thrilled that Pierre accepted our offer," said Springbrook Properties President Joan Austin. "He is very well known in the world of fine hotels and loves Oregon, so he will make a wonderful host for our guests."

After training at Lycee Technique Hoteliere in Grenoble, France, Zreik's 25-year career began with the Four Seasons and Hyatt, followed by a stint managing independently owned and operated hotels, including El San Juan Hotel in Puerto Rico and the Ocean Grand Resort & Spa in Palm Beach, Fla.

In 1995 Zreik was recruited to Portland's Heathman Hotel by Mary Arnstad where he served as general manager for three years. Following the Heathman, he joined Rosewood Hotels and Resorts at Little Dix Bay, Virgin Gorda, in the Caribbean. In 2001, he returned to Oregon to open the Avalon Hotel & Spa in Portland.

"Three times now I have returned to Oregon. This is a true homecoming for me. I have missed my friends and colleagues here in the Pacific Northwest," Zreik said.

"After 25 years in the hotel and resort industry, opening The Allison is the opportunity of a lifetime. It is a dream project," he concluded.

The Allison Inn & Spa, restaurant and conference center comprise the first luxury resort development in Oregon Wine Country. Scheduled to open in late summer 2009, The Allison will feature 85 deluxe guestrooms and suites on 35 acres with gardens, walking paths and a working vineyard.