Jim Veil, a former senior executive with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, served on the Ritz-Carlton management team that won the highly coveted Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award an uprecedented two times, the first hotel company ever to do so.  He was an integral part of the company as it grew from five hotels to 58, and he oversaw the opening of 22 new hotels within three years, including locations in South Beach, Washington, D.C. and Georgetown.

Rick Robbins is a former executive director of the Georgia Hotel & Lodging Association and served in various positions within the hotel industry, including general manager, regional director of operations and director of operations.  He has worked for Hyatt, Interstate Hotels, Marriott International and Starwood Hotels and Resorts.

Beth Allen began her career in Chicago and held various positions at Hotel Nikko and Four Seasons Chicago.  In 1995 she began her tenure with The Ritz-Carlton in sales and worked at various properties including Atlanta, Buckhead, the Caribbean and Mexico and most recently in Miami. 

Also a former executive with The Ritz-Carlton, Mark Dressel was opening director of finance for three hotels. In addition he developed a centralized accounting operation for six Ritz-Carlton properties.  Dressel began his career with Hyatt Hotels and prior to joining TWELVE was director of finance for The Mandarin Oriental in Washington, D.C.

The traditional hotel/condominium project, pioneered by luxury hotel chains such as The Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons, caters to an older, more settled audience, and is most often found in resort/destination locations. However, TWELVE�s target is a younger, more casual professional seeking an upscale residential property with excellent service, advanced technology features and modern design in an urban setting.  The hotel portion of TWELVE is intended to complement the residences.

�Jim Veil is the perfect choice to head TWELVE Hotels and Residences,� said Jim Borders, president of Novare Group, developers of the project and owners/creators of the TWELVE Hotels and Residences brand.  �Jim has already assembled a talented team with more than 80 years of combined hotel experience, including some of the most respected names in the industry to help us launch this unique brand and residential concept.�

Veil has also been previously affiliated with Marriott International as well as the Walt Disney Company in Orlando.  He is a native of Michigan and a graduate of Michigan State University, where he serves on the Board of Directors for MSU�s School of Hospitality Business.

TWELVE Hotels and Residences consists of an all-suites boutique hotel and moderately-priced luxury condominiums. The first property is located in Atlantic Station at State Street and 17th Street in Atlanta�s Midtown neighborhood, the 26-story high-rise will contain 481 units � 380 condos and 101 hotel rooms. Bob Amick, the man who brought Atlanta, ONE midtown kitchen, TWO urban licks and piebar, has been retained to oversee the build-out and management of a 5,000-square-foot restaurant and bar. The development also includes an 8,000-square-foot event space available for rental beginning in November, and an additional 10,000 square feet of retail.

ABOUT TWELVE HOTEL

�TWELVE ATLANTIC STATION® will be a more casual alternative for the upscale guest whose number-one focus is a great room and award-winning, innovative cuisine,� said Jim Veil, president, TWELVE Hotels and Residences. �In reality, the hotel rooms at TWELVE will be no different than the condominium residences above, averaging 750 square feet with a full kitchen and featuring technology services not available in the average home. If you are in Atlanta for a night or for a month, you are going to want to stay here.�

The hotel at TWELVE Atlantic Station will include 101 one- and two-bedroom suite-style hotel rooms, each offering the casual comforts of home: a full-size kitchen equipped with stainless steel appliances, living room area and private balcony in a suite design unique to TWELVE. The restaurant at TWELVE will serve a full lunch and dinner menu as well as a modified breakfast menu. Room service from the restaurant will also be available. Innovative technology services and amenities will be featured throughout the hotel including flat-panel televisions, DVD players and Wi-Fi. Every suite will also be equipped with an innovative technology system called the GHOST (Guest Hotel Operating System Terminal)�a flat-screen computer offering a desktop application that will provide guests with the ability to surf the Internet, check their emails, reference the guest directory or order room service.  For guests who prefer to bypass the front desk, the hotel will also feature self-service kiosk check-in and check-out.  These innovative technology features will provide guests with the unique ability to customize their service experience. 

Novare Group plans to develop other hotel-condominium projects under the TWELVE brand in select U.S. cities. Current plans call for a TWELVE project in downtown Atlanta, near Centennial Olympic Park.

ABOUT TWELVE RESIDENCES

TWELVE Residences, developed by Novare Group and Wood Partners, will have access to many of the hotel�s amenities, including room service, in-house restaurant and bar, housekeeping, 24-hour concierge and valet parking. Other condominium amenities include an elevated pool terrace, fitness center, clubroom, controlled-access parking and ultra-high-speed Internet. 

�What we were trying to create was an unrivaled hospitality company that was designed from the beginning to be wrapped around both a residential and hotel experience,� added Jim Veil.  �Many of our residents will simply want the same services that they receive on the road, such as room service and housekeeping, delivered to their condominiums.  The boutique TWELVE Hotel�s being a part of the development provides a platform from which to deliver that.�

Residences will begin on the seventh floor, offering premium skyline views, with units beginning in the $190,000�s.  A sales center with a full-size model unit is now open. Resident move-in is expected to begin in early 2006. For more information on purchasing a unit, visit www.twelveatlanticstation.com.

The primary focus of Novare Group is newly constructed residential high-rise communities with a distinctive urban architecture, rich amenities and quality construction at attractive price points. One of their first high-rise developments, Metropolis, is a 498-unit mixed-use project in Midtown Atlanta that met outstanding market acceptance. The group has several other high-rise projects in Atlanta including Eclipse and Realm in Buckhead, and Spire in Midtown. Novare also has projects underway in Charlotte, N.C.; Nashville, Tenn.; and Tampa, Fla.

Cathy High
Novare Group
[email protected]
404-575-4434
www.twelvehotels.com