Hyatt, which operates more than 424 Hyatt-branded properties worldwide, has become the newest corporate partner of Cornell's Center for Hospitality Research (CHR). Hyatt's portfolio of well-known brands includes Grand Hyatt, Park Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Hyatt, Hyatt Place, and Hyatt Summerfield Suites, as well as the new Andaz concept. CHR's corporate partners are instrumental in the CHR's model of encouraging and sharing top-level research for the hospitality and related industries. In addition, partners have a seat on the CHR advisory board and at all CHR industry roundtables.

Hyatt's chief operating officer – North America, Chuck Floyd, will join the CHR advisory board. "Hyatt is pleased to become a corporate partner in The Center for Hospitality Research," said Floyd. "We view the Center's innovation and research initiatives to be a great fit with Hyatt's goal to be the most preferred brand in each segment we serve for our associates, guests, and owners. We are confident that our partnership with the center will result in meaningful research and findings to further enable us to achieve this goal, and we look forward to active participation in these efforts."

"We are delighted that Hyatt has become a CHR partner," said Professor Rohit Verma, CHR executive director. "I am particularly looking forward to working with Chuck Floyd on our advisory board, given his substantial brand management, operations, and sales experience."

Hyatt operates an extensive portfolio of lodging brands in the full-service, select-service, and extended-stay industry segments. In addition, Hyatt develops, sells, and manages vacation ownership properties, within its Hyatt Vacation Club brand. Long known for its innovative lodging management and design, Hyatt bases its mission on key core values: mutual respect, intellectual honesty and integrity, humility, fun, creativity, and innovation. Hyatt's newest concept, Andaz, offers boutique-style hotels that reflect and augment their cultural surroundings and neighborhood.

A 25-year veteran of the hotel industry, Chuck Floyd oversees management in the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean of Hyatt's full-service hotels and resorts, Hyatt Place, Hyatt Summerfield Suites, and Hyatt Vacation Ownership, as well as the franchise owner relations group.

About Hyatt | Hyatt, headquartered in Chicago, is a leading global hospitality company with a proud heritage of making guests feel more than welcome. Thousands of members of the Hyatt family in 45 countries strive to make a difference in the lives of the guests they encounter every day by providing authentic hospitality. The company's subsidiaries manage, franchise, own and develop hotels and resorts under the Hyatt®, Park Hyatt®, Andaz®, Grand Hyatt®, Hyatt Regency®, Hyatt Place® and Hyatt Summerfield Suites™ brand names and have locations under development on five continents. Hyatt Vacation Ownership, Inc., a Hyatt Hotels Corporation subsidiary, develops and operates vacation ownership properties under the Hyatt Vacation Club® brand. As of December 31, 2009, the company's worldwide portfolio consisted of 424 properties. For more information, please visit .

About the Center for Hospitality Research

The purpose of the Center for Hospitality Research is to enable and conduct research of significance to the global hospitality and related service industries. CHR also works to improve the connections between academe and industry, continuing the School of Hotel Administration's long-standing tradition of service to the hospitality industry. Founded in 1992, CHR remains the industry's foremost creator and distributor of timely research, all of which is posted at no charge for all to use. In addition to its industry advisory board, CHR convenes several industry roundtables each year for the purpose of identifying new issues affecting the hospitality industry.

Center Members: Accenture • Access Point Financial, Inc. • Barclaycard US • Cvent • Davis & Gilbert LLP • Deloitte & Touche USA LLP • DerbySoft • Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts • Fox Rothschild LLP • Hilton Worldwide • Host Hotels & Resorts • Hyatt Hotels Corporation • IDeaS Revenue Solutions • InterContinental Hotels Group • Jumeirah Group • Marriott International • NTT DATA • Preferred Hotels & Resorts • priceline.com • PwC • The Rainmaker Group • RateGain • ReviewPro • Revinate • Sabre Hospitality Solutions • STR • Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces • Tata Consultancy Services • Wipro EcoEnergy • Wyndham Hotel Group

Jennifer Macera
Associate Director
(607) 255-3101
CHR