Le Meridien Chicago - Oakbrook Center Names Simon A. Fricker as GM

Accomplished hotelier, Fricker, Brings Global Expertise to Le Meridien Chicago - Oakbrook

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. October 31, 2013

CHICAGO - October 31, 2013 - Le Meridien Chicago - Oakbrook Center, slated to open April 2014, announced the appointment of Simon A. Fricker to General Manager. Fricker joins with over 20 years of hospitality experience across world class hotel brands in Zurich, New York, Las Vegas and Miami.

“I'm thrilled to be a part of the first Le Meridien project driven by Starwood in the Chicago market,” said Simon Fricker, General Manager, Le Meridien Chicago - Oakbrook Center. “Offering timeless, chic style and personalized guest experiences, the new Le Meridien Chicago - Oakbrook Center will mirror the style and sophistication of this vibrant community.”

Born and raised in Switzerland, Fricker moved to the United States after graduating from an elite program at the Swiss Hotel Management School. His career excelled in Manhattan where he held several esteemed positions at renowned properties, including The Gramercy Park, an Ian Schrager hotel, The Peninsula and The St. Regis. In 2009 Fricker joined the opening team of the Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas. The team made history when FORBES awarded triple Five Star designations, for each, the hotel, spa and restaurant. In 2011 Fricker repeated this success with the Mandarin Oriental Miami, including an AAA Five Diamond designation.

In addition to his management experience and accolades, Fricker, a certified chef, enjoys cooking for family and friends, flying single engine airplanes and traveling. Relocating from Miami, Simon stated “I'm looking forward to settling into the Oak Brook community, building relationships with local partners and taking advantage of everything this dynamic area has to offer.”

About Le Meridien Chicago - Oakbrook Center

Le Meridien Chicago - Oakbrook Center will debut its $20 million transformation in April 2014, including a spectacular new outer façade, completely reimagined public spaces, a full service restaurant, signature bar and the Le Meridien HubTM experience. The HubTM, which re-interprets the traditional lobby into a social gathering place, offers a creative atmosphere where contemporary, curated artwork sets the environment. Artfully designed, Le Meridien Chicago Oakbrook Center offers 5,000 square feet of event space, 172 guestrooms & suites, two deluxe Spa Suites. The hotel is just steps away from large corporate offices, luxury boutiques and highly sought after restaurants, making it a destination of choice for visitors to Oak Brook and other western Chicago suburbs. For more information, please visit www.lemeridien.com.

About Le Meridien Hotels & Resorts

Le Meridien, the Paris-born hotel brand currently represented by nearly 100 properties in more than 40 countries, was acquired by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) in November 2005. With more than 80 of its properties located in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Le Meridien provided a strong international complement to Starwood's then primarily North American holdings at the time of purchase. Since then, Le Meridien has gone through a brand re-launch, which included a large scale hotels product consolidation as well as redefining its brand strategy. Through creation of the LM100 artist community, Le Meridien has transformed numerous guest touch points, thus bringing unique, interactive and curated experiences to its guests. Plans call for dynamic expansion of Le Meridien Hotels and Resorts within the next five years, concentrating on markets in Asia-Pacific and the Americas. Le Meridien recently opened new hotels in Bali, Atlanta, Dallas, Istanbul, Oran (Algeria), Arlington (Virginia, USA), and Coimbatore (India), and will open in the next 12 months in Chicago, Zhengzhou (China), Mahabaleshwar (India), Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), Cairo (Egypt), Qingdao (China), Dhaka (Bangladesh), Tampa (Florida, USA) and Columbus (Ohio, USA). For more information, please visit www.lemeridien.com or www.facebook.com/lemeridien. Follow @lemerdienhotels on Instagram.

About Wischermann Partners

Wischermann Partners, Inc is a national hospitality firm, focused on the operations of upper upscale and luxury hotels. Recognized by clients, peers and industry experts, Wischermann Partners brings a unique mix of knowledge, experience and insight to hospitality management, development and acquisitions. Currently, Wischermann Partners operates a hotel portfolio of more than 3,000 rooms. For more information about Wischermann Partners, please visit www.wischermannpartners.com.