J. Gary Peters has been appointed Executive Vice President of Development for the Elegant Hotels Group, a leading hotel group in the Caribbean with 5 properties on Barbados and one on Antigua. Prior to this appointment, Peters was the Vice President of Development for Sol Melia S.A. for development in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia markets.

In this new role with Elegant Hotels, Peters will further the company`s goal to expand outside its traditional Caribbean foothold and become a leading international hotel company in the upscale, boutique segment. With a $100 million investment slated for the company`s growth over the next 5 years, Elegant Hotels plan to grow from 6 hotels to 30 over this period, through new builds, acquisitions and management contracts.

“Elegant Hotels Group has a very clear, focused and aggressive development strategy for the coming years,” said Marcello Pigozzo, CEO of Elegant Hotels Group. “Gary`s tremendous international experience will serve the company well to achieve these goals. I am delighted to have Gary on our team as we move forward.”

Peters` 14 years of experience includes positions in Development with Bass Hotels and Resorts which encompassed Holiday Inn, Holiday Express and Crowne Plaza hotels, ITT Sheraton and a Vice President in charge of Investments for a successful Middle East Investment Group holding hotel assets globally. He has also held positions with S.I.B. Finance.

Peters` extensive international experience has made him a well-respected speaker at hotel strategy conferences, including the recent Cornell University Conference. He also holds a seat on the Advisory Board for the International Hotel Investment Forum held each year in Berlin and is Co-Chairman for the 1st annual Middle East Hotel Investment Forum in 2002. He holds a degree from Northwestern University in Finance and Accounting and an MBA from Wharton Business School.

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