Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants Names Two Senior VPs

Barry Pollard Senior VP - Hotel Operations & James Lin Senior VP - Restaurants & Bars

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. February 13, 2014

SAN FRANCISCO - February 13, 2014 - San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, a leader in customer satisfaction within the boutique hospitality space, announced today that it has promoted two company veterans: Barry Pollard to senior vice president of hotel operations and James Lin to senior vice president of restaurants and bars. In their new roles, Pollard and Lin are responsible for overseeing operations at Kimpton's more than 60 hotels and nearly 70 restaurants, bars and lounges, and helping to shape the evolution and overall vision of the Kimpton brand.

"As we take Kimpton to the next phase in our growth story, I can't think of two better people to lead the charge. They're no-doubt seasoned veterans who bring a wealth of knowledge to the table while simultaneously offering a spirited, forward-thinking approach," said Mike DeFrino, chief operating officer at Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants. "The combination of Barry's passion for operational excellence with James' enthusiasm for restaurants and his financial background make these guys a force to be reckoned with and I'm thrilled to have their caliber leading our operations teams."

Pollard is responsible for developing and evolving the hotel operations strategies, increasing profitability while maintaining the company's industry-leading guest satisfaction scores and upholding its unique culture that has led to Kimpton's inclusion on Fortune Magazine's 'Best 100 Companies to Work For' list for five years.

During his 12-year tenure at Kimpton, Pollard has held a number of senior positions, including general manager at multiple hotels, director of operations for all San Francisco hotels and director of operations for the Mid-Atlantic region. Most recently, Pollard served as the vice president of operations in the Mid-Atlantic region where he was directly responsible for the operations, sales and marketing initiatives, human resources, finance and profitability for all 12 properties in the region. During the seven-year period, Barry oversaw significant expansion within the area, and helped Kimpton double its presence with the addition of six new hotels.

As senior vice president of restaurants and bars, Lin oversees nearly 70 restaurants, bars and lounges at Kimpton hotels across the United States and manages all aspects of restaurant operations, including financial performance, overall profitability and concept development of new restaurants and bars.

James first joined Kimpton in 2004 and held a number of ascending financial roles including area director of revenue management, director of corporate finance and development and vice president of asset management before leaving Kimpton in 2010 to pursue his passion for the restaurant and nightlife world as COO and CFO at Ozumo Concepts International (OCI) in San Francisco. During his time at OCI, James was responsible for operations, finance, accounting, development, construction, investor relations and brand strategy. Over a two-year period, James oversaw significant growth, increasing the portfolio from two to seven restaurants and doubling portfolio revenues. James returned to Kimpton in 2012, as a senior vice president and treasurer, and has worked closely with members of the restaurant division to help evolve the company's strategic approach to food and beverage programming and experience in the day and nightlife arena in multiple markets prior to assuming this role.

To learn more about Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, visit www.KimptonHotels.com, www.LifeisSuite.com, www.Facebook.com/Kimpton or www.Twitter.com/Kimpton.

About Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants

San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants is the leading collection of boutique hotels and restaurants in the United States and the acknowledged industry pioneer that first introduced the boutique hotel concept to America. In 1981, Bill Kimpton founded the company that today is renowned for making travelers feel genuinely cared for while away from home through thoughtful perks and amenities, distinctive design that tells a story and inspires a sense of fun at each hotel and a sincerely personal style of guest service. Out to help people live full, balanced lives, Kimpton aims to inspire with touches like yoga mats in every room, complimentary coffee and tea to start the day, hosted evening Wine Hour, in-room fitness programming and complimentary bike rentals. The award-winning restaurants and bars are led by talented chefs and bartenders that offer guests a chance to dine like a local. Kimpton also leads the hospitality industry in eco-friendly practices that span all hotels and restaurants, and is consistently ranked as one of the top companies in the Market Metrix Hospitality Index, Upper Upscale Segment, for Customer Satisfaction. The company is highly-regarded for its innovative employee culture and benefits and has been named a Fortune magazine "Best Place to Work" four times since 2009. Kimpton is continuously growing and currently operates 60 hotels and nearly 70 restaurants, bars and lounges in 26 cities. For more information, visit www.KimptonHotels.com and www.KimptonRestaurants.com.