The 362-suite Renaissance Chicago O’Hare Hotel, managed by Tishman Hotel Corporation (THC), has put executive team leaders in place with the appointments of Kit Pappas, as General Manager and Arthur Cooper, as Director of Sales and Marketing. 
The hotel was completed in 2003, but never opened under its original ownership.  With its new owners, a partnership between affiliates of Tishman Realty Corporation and JPMorgan Fleming Asset Management on behalf of its institutional clients, the Renaissance Chicago O’Hare is set to open February 19, 2005, and will create more than 170 new full-time jobs, in addition to part-time jobs, in the local community.

“We are thrilled to have Kit Pappas and Art Cooper on board, and provide new jobs in the greater Chicago marketplace,” said Randy Villareal, THC’s senior vice president.  “With Kit and Art’s combined 40-plus years in the hospitality industry, coupled with the expertise of a team of 170 future colleagues, we are on target to open this 362-suite hotel with tremendous experience and success.”

Pappas joins the Renaissance Chicago O’Hare Hotel team, bringing extensive, specialized experience in property openings.  He served as opening general manager for the Hard Rock Hotel Chicago and, prior to that, was responsible for the debut of 21 Ritz-Carlton properties as vice president of sales and marketing, during hotel pre-openings.  A Renaissance Hotels & Resorts veteran, Pappas devoted a decade to the brand, spending most of his tenure at the Renaissance Chicago Hotel.  Pappas, who received a Bachelor of Science from Michigan State University College of Business, will be responsible for all service standards and will supervise the staff in its entirety, working closely with the department heads of guest services, sales and marketing, and food and beverage.

Arthur Cooper, a hospitality industry guru with two-dozen years of experience, was most recently the director of sales and marketing for the Radisson Hotel
O’Hare, a property that THC has managed.  There, he successfully transitioned
the hotel from a Radisson to a Wyndham franchise.  Cooper previously served as director of sales and marketing of the Radisson Arlington Heights and Schaumburg Hotels and before that, as director of operations at the Radisson Lisle/Naperville Hotel.  Cooper began his career with Marriott International and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and Science in political science from the University of Colorado.  In 1997, he was named “Director of Sales and Marketing of the Year” by Interstate Hotels.  Cooper will oversee all sales and marketing activities for the hotel.
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