HTNG Appoints David Sjolander Chief Operating Officer

Respected Industry Leader Brings Deep Experience as Both Hotel Technology Company Executive and Hotel IT Executive

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. June 06, 2013

CHICAGO - June 6, 2013 - Hotel Technology Next Generation (HTNG), the membership association that unites the world's hospitality companies and technology innovators to solve industry challenges, today announced the appointment of David Sjolander , CHTP as its Chief Operating Officer. As COO, Sjolander will be responsible for driving the operational execution of HTNG's mission, reporting to Douglas Rice, Executive Vice President and CEO.

David Sjolander possesses broad hotel technology experience, including product development and management, distribution, IT operations, strategy, and business development. Prior to joining HTNG, he was the Vice President of Product Management, Distribution Services for Pegasus Solutions, provider of the system that connects 90,000 hotels worldwide to over 1,000 online distribution channels. In addition to Pegasus, he has held executive positions at hotel technology companies including TravelClick, Fidelio and Hotel Information Systems.

As a hotel IT executive, Sjolander was responsible for all hotel-based technology at over 1,000 properties in 70 countries as Vice President, Hotel Systems for Carlson Hospitality Worldwide, where, among other significant accomplishments, he standardized its property management system and enabled several key brand initiatives. Sjolander began his career as an Assistant Front Office Manager at the Hyatt Regency in Dallas, Texas.

“David joins HTNG at a pivotal moment for both our organization and the industry we bring together,” said Douglas Rice, Executive Vice President and CEO of HTNG. “He is a proven strategic thinker and executional leader who has earned the trust and respect of all of our stakeholders through his many accomplishments as an executive at both a hotel company and hotel technology companies. He will have a significant impact on the future direction of hotel technology as HTNG's Chief Operating Officer.”

“David Sjolander is widely recognized as a leading innovative mind in the hotel technology sector and his presence at HTNG will greatly benefit hoteliers and hotel technology companies alike,” said Jeremy Ward, President of HTNG and Senior VP of Information Technology, Kempinski Hotels. “I speak on behalf of all HTNG members in welcoming him and greatly look forward to his ideas and insights as we move the organization forward.”

“The expansion of HTNG's membership, the breadth of challenges it is working to solve and its global partnerships speak to its vital role in defining how hotel technology is brought to market and deployed by hotels worldwide,” said David Sjolander, Chief Operating Officer of HTNG. “I have seen firsthand the results that HTNG enables as both a hotel and technology company executive and have identified a range of opportunities to increase our already important role in the evolution of hotel technology at this critical point in time.”

About Hotel Technology Next Generation
The premier technology solutions association in the hospitality industry, HTNG is a self-funded, nonprofit organization with members from hotel and hospitality companies, technology vendors to hospitality, and other industry members including consultants, media and academic experts. HTNG's members participate in focused workgroups to bring to market open solution sets addressing specific business problems. HTNG fosters the selection and adoption of existing open standards. Where necessary, it also develops new open standards to meet the needs of the global hospitality industry.

Membership in HTNG is open to hotel and hospitality companies, technology vendors to hospitality, consultants, academics, press and others. Currently more than 400 corporate and individual members from across this spectrum, including most of the world's leading hotel companies and technology vendors, are active HTNG participants. HTNG's Board of Governors, consisting of 17 top IT leaders from hotel companies around the world, itself has responsibility for about 2.4 million guest rooms. HTNG publishes workgroup proceedings, drafts and specifications for all HTNG members as soon as they are created, encouraging rapid and broad adoption. Specifications are released to the public domain as they are ratified by the workgroups. For more information, visit www.htng.org.

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