Simon Cooper Named President And Chief Operating Officer of Ritz-Carlton - Horst Schulze, 17-Year Ritz-Carlton Leader, Becomes Vice Chairman

Cooper succeeds Horst Schulze, who will retire from operational management responsibilities at Ritz-Carlton and become vice-chairman, playing a key role in global development, owner relations and brand strategy.

William R. Tiefel, chairman of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and vice chairman of Marriott International, Inc., said, "I am extremely pleased that Simon Cooper, a premier hotelier, will bring his own strong leadership and distinctive style to our world-class luxury hotel brand."

Continued Tiefel, "Simon's extensive hospitality background, from his superb work for Marriott in Canada to top management of prestige hotel groups in the U.S., Canada, Israel and elsewhere in the world, positions him exceedingly well to succeed Horst Schulze in building on his legacy of Ritz- Carlton culture and service, and its outstanding success."

Since joining Marriott International in 1998, Cooper has overseen all of the company's existing hotel brands in Canada, with the New England region being added to his responsibilities in 2000. He has been instrumental in fulfilling the company's goal of rapid Canadian hotel development; in the past three years, Marriott International-branded hotels have increased from seven to more than 30.

In his Marriott role in Canada, Cooper was committed to promoting Canadian tourism. He was one of the main forces behind the creation of the Canadian Tourism Commission, where he has served on the board and as chairman of the Commission's committee on infrastructure development.

Earlier in his career, Cooper was executive vice president of Omni Hotels (USA) and was managing director of Dan Hotels, Israel's largest luxury hotel chain. In addition, he also served as senior vice president of operations for Delta Hotels & Resorts, beginning his career with Canadian Pacific Hotels & Resorts.

Cooper is chairman of the Board of Governors for the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, and is a senior member of The Conference Board (USA) and a member of the Conference Board of Canada's National Council of Leadership. Born and educated in Britain, Cooper received an MBA from the University of Toronto.

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company currently manages 38 hotels and resorts throughout the world, and is the only service company to twice win the United States Department of Commerce's Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award which recognizes corporate excellence. For information or reservations, please call 1-800-241-3333, or a travel professional.

SOURCE: Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C.