September 2, 2015

Richard Bussiere has been appointed as Managing Director at Langham Place, New York, Fifth Avenue

Langham Place, New York, Fifth Avenue is proud to announce the appointment of Richard Bussiere as the hotel's new managing director, a role he assumed the role on August 3, 2015. A 35-year veteran of the hospitality industry, this appointment is the most recent acknowledgement of Langham Hospitality Group's faith in Bussiere's rich and varied experience. Most recently, he served as managing director at The Langham, Boston, the first North American hotel in the group's portfolio, a role he was appointed to in 2013. Having spent the majority of his career managing hotels in Asia, Australia, and the South Pacific, Bussiere will now bring his wealth of international experience to the bustling island of Manhattan. His appointment comes on the heels of the recently announced renovations at Langham Place, which will debut beginning in fall 2015 and will include an updated lobby, a multi-million dollar art installation by Alex Katz, guest room and corridor refurbishment, expanded meeting space re-christened as The Gallery, and the installation of a branded Chuan Body & Soul spa. Born in Southbridge, Massachusetts, and raised in Rockville and Vernon, Connecticut, Richard earned an Associate Degree in Hotel & Food Service Management from Manchester Community College and a Bachelor's Degree in Hotel Management at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Following graduation, Richard was recruited by ITT Sheraton as a Management Trainee, serving at the Sheraton at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, where he worked his way up through the ranks to Assistant Front Office Manager before transferring to the pre-opening team of the Sheraton Grande, Los Angeles. His success at the west coast hotels inspired Sheraton to transfer Richard to the pre-opening team of the brand's first internationally-managed hotel in Shanghai, China-the Hua Ting Sheraton-thus beginning his career in international hospitality that would span 27 years. He went on to hold various management positions at hotels in China and other exotic destinations including New Zealand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. In 2001, Bussiere was named area managing director of Indonesia for Starwood, where he was responsible for operating 10 hotels; two years later, he was transferred to Fiji as managing director of three properties. In 2007, Richard moved back to Australia to be the general manager of The Westin Melbourne, where he oversaw a $5 million renovation. He then returned to China in the same role at The Great Wall Sheraton Hotel in Beijing, followed by a post as pre-opening general manager of The Westin, Chongqing. Upon returning to the United States in 2013 to helm, The Langham, Boston, the brand's first hotel in the United States, Bussiere successfully helped the hotel achieve all of its financial goals, while leading a team of 300 employees. Under Bussiere's leadership, The Langham, Boston was named to the 2015 Travel + Leisure "World's Best" list.

Richard Bussiere is an alumnus of University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) – Class of 1980.

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