Preferred Hotel Group to Expand its Brand in Southern Europe

Susan Devine Named Area Managing Director, Southern Europe, and VP, Business Development

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. October 31, 2011

CHICAGO - October 28, 2011 - Preferred Hotel Group™, a leading provider of sales and marketing support to independent hotels around the world, today named Ms. Susan Devine as Area Managing Director of Southern Europe, and Vice President, Business Development.

As Area Managing Director, Ms. Devine will be responsible for supporting the over 100 hotels within the Iberian Peninsula & Mediterranean region, and broadening existing member hotel partnerships. As Vice President, Business Development, a newly created role for this region, she will work to further develop new members and to expand Preferred Hotel Group's brand awareness. Mr. Philipp Weghmann, previously responsible for this region, has been named Area Managing Director, Latin America and Caribbean.

“Building on our strong presence in Europe, Preferred Hotel Group is focused on growing and developing our family of brands in southern Europe,” said Lindsey Ueberroth, President, Preferred Hotel Group. “Susan brings a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience to this position and is well suited to work together with our current and potential new partners in offering innovative business solutions to generate greater revenue opportunities to our member hotels.” Ms. Devine joins a seasoned team of professionals in Europe, including Mr. Bruno Chiaruttini, Area Managing Director - Continental Europe; Mr. Christian Hribar, Regional Director, Central Europe; Mrs. Roberta Possenti, Regional Director, Southern Europe, and Mr. Chris Fradin, Regional Director, UK, Ireland & Nordics.

A veteran of the hospitality industry, Ms. Devine has more than 20 years of experience working directly with hotel management in marketing and sales. Previously at Preferred Hotel Group, she held the role of Area Managing Director, Latin America and the Caribbean, where she grew the region's membership from 27 to 75 members in just under five years and was instrumental in developing key partnerships with internationally acclaimed hotel companies such as AM Resorts, Meliá Hotels International, and Las Brisas.

Ms. Devine spent over a decade in Mexico as a Founding Partner of the tourism advisory firm Hospitality Business Consulting; General Manager of the Fiesta Americana Grand in Mexico City; General Manager of the Hyatt Cancún Caribe; and Director of Sales & Marketing, Mexico and Central America, for Hyatt International.

About Preferred Hotel Group™
With more than 850 best-in-class hotels and resorts in 70 countries, Preferred Hotel Group™ represents six distinctive brands: Preferred Hotels® & Resorts, Preferred Boutique™, Summit Hotels & Resorts™, Sterling Hotels™, Historic Hotels of America®, and Preferred Residences™, a membership-based exchange program for luxury shared ownership resorts. Preferred Hotel Group also offers I Prefer™, a complimentary global guest benefit program, and Preferred Golf™, a membership-based program that grants access to over 100 of the world's most renowned golf resorts. For more information, visit us on the web at www.PreferredHotelGroup.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.