ALIS Award Finalists Announced

San Diego, Innovative executives and companies responsible for the most important hospitality industry deals in 2008 have been selected as finalists for the prestigious ALIS Awards, to be presented during the 2009 Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS) conference, January 26-28. Nominees are considered for this honor based on selection by committees of esteemed industry leaders, with winners in each category determined by ALIS conference sponsors.

Nominees in the four award categories include:

Jack A. Shaffer Financial Advisor of the Year 2008

• Thomas C. Fisher, managing director, Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels
• Jackson Hsieh, managing director and global head of real estate, lodging & leisure group, UBS Investment Bank
• Robert T. Koger, president, Molinaro Koger

Development of the Year 2008

• The 1,594-room Fontainebleau Miami Beach (Miami, Florida), developed at a cost of approximately $1 billion by Fontainebleau Resorts, LLC.
• The 2,000-room Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center (Washington, D.C./ National Harbor, MD), developed at a cost of approximately $1 billion by Gaylord Entertainment
• The 1,190-room Hilton San Diego Bayfront (San Diego, California), developed at a cost of $348 million by Portman Holdings, LLC and Phelps Development, LLC.
• The 328-room The Blackstone, A Renaissance Hotel (Chicago, Illinois), developed at a cost of $128 million by Sage Hospitality

Single Asset Transaction of the Year 2008

• Thayer Hotel Investors IV purchase of the 316-room Hyatt Dulles (Washington Dulles International Airport, Fairfax County, Virginia) for $76.5 million, or approximately $242,088 per room, from Ashford Hospitality Trust
• Next Century Associates, LLC, a joint venture of Woodbridge Capital Partners and D.E. Shaw Group, purchase of the 726-room Hyatt Regency Century Plaza (Los Angeles, California) for $366.5 million, or approximately $504,821 per room, from Sunstone Century Star, LLC and Sunstone Century Star Lessee, Inc.
• Great Eagle Holdings (Langham Hotels), purchase of the 380-room Ritz-Carlton Huntington Hotel & Spa (Pasadena, California) for $165 million, or approximately $434,200 per room, from Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers, LLC.

Merger & Acquisition of the Year 2008

• Apollo Management and Texas Pacific Group acquire Harrah’s Entertainment – approximately $28 billion
• Inland American Lodging acquires 22-hotel portfolio from RLJ Development – $900 million
• Wyndham Worldwide acquires U.S. Franchise Systems from Global Hyatt Corporation – $131 million

Award winners will be announced on Tuesday, January 27. Other honorees during the 2009 ALIS conference include J.W. Marriott, Jr., chairman and CEO of Marriott International, Inc., who will receive the 2009 International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC) Pioneer Award, and Horst Schulze, president/CEO of West Paces Hotel Group, who will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his remarkable accomplishments in the founding and growth of the successful The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and throughout his career.

Proceeds from the ALIS conference benefit the educational, research, and training missions of the Educational Institute (EI) of the American Hotel & Lodging Education Foundation (AH&LEF), AH&LA’s not-for-profit affiliate. For general event information, online registration, and sponsor opportunities, contact Jonathon Zink, BHN conference manager, at (714) 540-9300 or [email protected], or visit the ALIS Website. Registration price will increase on January 19. For information on the AH&LA or AH&LEF, visit . Press interested in more information on ALIS are invited to contact Jessica Soklow, AH&LA media relations manager, at [email protected].

Serving the hospitality industry for nearly a century, AH&LA is the sole national association representing all sectors and stakeholders in the lodging industry, including individual hotel property members, hotel companies, student and faculty members, and industry suppliers. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., AH&LA provides members with national advocacy on Capitol Hill, public relations and image management, education, research and information, and other value-added services to provide bottom line savings and ensure a positive business climate for the lodging industry. Partner state associations provide local representation and additional cost-saving benefits to members.

AH&LEF is the charitable fund-raising and endowed fund-management subsidiary of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. Founded in 1953, AH&LEF is the premier organization for scholarships, professional certification, and instructional material as well as funding for hospitality industry research.

With more than two decades of experience and over 65 events completed to date, BHN is the worldwide leader in developing and organizing conferences for the hotel and tourism investment community. BHN conferences have become “must attend” events for industry leaders who come together to network, conduct business, and to learn about the latest trends. In addition to ALIS, BHN events include: the Central America Tourism & Hotel Investment Exchange (CATHIE) taking place in Managua in 2009; the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Investment Conference (CHTIC) taking place in Bermuda in 2009; Digital Discovery Day (D3) in New York; the Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP) in Hong Kong; the Hotel Investment Forum India (HIFI) in Mumbai; and the PATA CEO Challenge in Bangkok. The BHN Website at www.burba.com is the gateway for information about the conferences BHN produces, as well as a direct link to important players in the hospitality investment world.