Tishman Hotel Corporation (THC) has announced the promotion of four key executives on its hotel management team. The promotion of these executives, who have extensive experience covering all facets of hotel management and implementing creative management innovations, will support the company’s plans for domestic and international expansion.

The promotions are:

*  Jim Biggar, from First Vice President to Senior Vice President, overseeing portfolio management of all THC-managed hotels.
*  Andrew Papoutsis, from Vice President & Managing Director of the Westin Rio Mar Beach Resort & Golf Club in Puerto Rico to Senior Vice President of Operations for the Southeastern U.S. and Caribbean and Managing Director of the Westin Rio Mar Beach Resort & Golf Club.
*  Don Bartell, from General Manager to Vice President of Operations for the Midwestern U.S. and G.M. for the Radisson O’Hare near Chicago’s international airport.
*  Mark Sperberg, from Director to Vice President of Capital Projects.

“I’m very pleased to promote these colleagues to their new positions in which I’m certain they will excel,” said Bill McCreary, President of THC. “Tishman is unique in the industry with respect to the intensive, in-depth corporate oversight placed on each property it manages. With these promotions, we are fully prepared to absorb the additional management contracts we anticipate.”

Tishman’s promotion and recruitment efforts focus heavily on industry professionals who have extensive hotel development, sales, marketing and operations experience - domestically and internationally. According to Mr. McCreary, this is a strategic approach that is aligned with the company’s aggressive goals for its expansion plans. He added: “We’re pleased to have this caliber of talent in our company. Their backgrounds and experience support our current hotel portfolio and proactive efforts to expand our borders. We are now poised to make some significant strides with regard to the geographic positioning of our portfolio of hotels.”

Jim Biggar - Jim Biggar joined THC as First Vice President, and is based in its Orlando office. His duties include overseeing the portfolio of Tishman-managed hotels and managing new business development efforts.  Mr. Biggar’s background includes a career with several national brands, such as Stouffer, Renaissance, Marriott, and Hard Rock Hotels & Resorts. His career began in sales and marketing and expanded to general management and executive appointments. He has operated hotels as General Manager in Washington D.C., Chicago, Baltimore and St. Thomas, USVI, including the notable Mayflower Hotel four blocks from the White House. Additionally, he has held senior positions such as Vice President of Operations for Renaissance Hotels, and Senior Director, Hard Rock Hotels and Resorts, where he oversaw licensing, brand management and new property development. His educational background includes a B.S. in Geology from St. Lawrence University and an MBA from Georgetown University.

Andrew Papoutsis - A 27-year industry veteran, Mr. Papoutsis is responsible for THC’s managed properties in the Southeastern U.S. and Caribbean. He is also Managing Director for the Westin Rio Mar Beach Resort & Golf Club-a 500-acre resort with a staff of 1,200 in Puerto Rico.
Mr. Papoutsis was most recently Regional Vice President of Operations for Wyndham International’s southeastern region, while simultaneously holding the post of General Manager at the Wyndham Atlanta Downtown.
Mr. Papoutsis’ industry career began with Hilton Hotel Corporation where he filled numerous roles, including Director of Food and Beverage at the New Orleans Hilton & Towers. His career also includes a 17-year tenure with Stouffer and Renaissance Hotels & Resorts, which began as an Assistant General Manager, from which he progressed to Vice President and General Manager and later, Senior Vice President of the Western U.S. and Canadian territories and Senior Vice President of Operations for the Caribbean and South America.
A graduate of Roosevelt University in Chicago, he holds a B.S. degree in Business Administration and Math.

Donald Bartell - Over the past 14 years, Don Bartell has achieved extraordinary results for the properties with which he has been affiliated. He currently serves as General Manager of the Radisson O’Hare and Vice President of Operations for the Midwestern U.S. for THC. In this capacity, his responsibilities include leading capital and revenue maximization efforts for Tishman’s owned and managed properties in the region. Mr. Bartell joined THC as Director, overseeing the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers and Westin Chicago River North. Prior to that, he held multiple positions at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers including Director of Revenue. In this role, he increased REVPAR by 15%, taking the Hotel from number three in its competitive set to first. As Director of Reception at the same property, the Hotel saw an increase in check-in guest satisfaction scores from 84 to 92. Prior to that, while holding the position of executive housekeeper, Mr. Bartell was named “Manager of the Year for ITT Sheraton in 1994.” He was also honored as Director of the Year in 1989 while serving as Director of Services at the Chicago Downtown Marriott. Mr. Bartell holds a B.S. from the University of Wisconsin Stout and a Masters in Business Administration from Keller Graduate School of Management.

Mark Sperberg - Mark Sperberg serves as Vice President of the Capital Management Office for THC. In this role, he is responsible for orchestrating the design and construction processes for hotel renovation projects. Mr. Sperberg brings a broad perspective on the construction industry to the Tishman organization, having worked as a General Contractor for J.A. Jones, H.C. Beck and similar organizations, followed by several years in architecture for HOK, Sverdrup and 3D/International, where he served as the CFO and COO of their Southeast region. More recently, he has been engaged in representing the interests of the owner with Capital Land Group and now with THC. Mr. Sperberg has participated in many significant projects in the U.S., such as Union Station in St. Louis, Galleria Shopping Malls in Dallas and St. Louis, expansion of the Cervantes Convention Center in St. Louis, and work for Omni, Hyatt, Ritz Carlton and Radisson Hotels. Mr. Spergerg holds B.S. degrees in Engineering and Management Science from Duke University.

Tishman Hotel Corporation Background - Tishman Hotel Corporation (THC) is a leading U.S.-based Hotel Management firm, which also provides Investment Banking, Development, and Hospitality Advisory services. THC manages approximately 9,200 hotel rooms nationwide, in the Caribbean and Europe, and in conjunction with its affiliates, has provided services to more than 160 hotels totaling over 80,000 hotel rooms. Hotel Business magazine ranked THC as the #3 independent hotel management company in the nation in 2003. Properties owned by Tishman affiliates include The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotels in Orlando; The Hilton in the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida; the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers; The Westin Chicago River North; and The Westin New York at Times Square, opened in October, 2002.  Properties managed by THC include The Westin Rio Mar Beach Resort & Golf Club in Puerto Rico; The Goodwin Hotel in Hartford, CT; Four Points Sheraton @ Los Angeles International Airport; The Radisson Deauville Resort Miami Beach, Florida; The Shoreham, The Mansfield, The Franklin, The Roger Williams, and The Clarion Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York; The Crown Plaza Harrisburg in Harrisburg, PA; the Radisson O`Hare near Chicago`s International Airport; and the Courtyard by Marriott Warsaw International Airport Hotel in Poland.  THC is an affiliate of Tishman Realty & Construction Co., Inc., one of the world`s premier real estate managers, developers, owners, builders, and advisors, founded in 1898 and headquartered in New York.Ê

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