Jackson, MS (April 5, 2010)—Sean Byers, who formerly served as general manager of downtown Baton Rouge’s historic Hilton Capitol Center, is taking the same position at the Hilton Garden Inn Jackson Downtown in the historic King Edward building, announced Gary Gutierrez, president of HRI Lodging, an affiliate of HRI Properties (HRI), the lead developer and majority owner of the King Edward.
 
“We are most excited to have Sean join us at the Hilton Garden Inn Jackson Downtown,” said Gutierrez. “His success in opening and developing another historic Hilton property in a very similar downtown location will be invaluable to the growth of our hotel in the King Edward building.”
 
Byers started at the Hilton Capitol Center in June 2006 and was originally responsible for pre-opening hiring and training of all front office and housekeeping managers and associates. He earned a promotion to assistant general manager in March 2007 and ultimately general manager in December 2007.
 
His Baton Rouge property has since won a number of honors, including the prestigious “Four-Diamond” designation from AAA in 2009.
 
Before moving to Baton Rouge, Byers worked at Hilton properties in Houston, Texas. He also worked at the Hotel Galvez in Galveston, TX, a Wyndham Historic Hotel & Spa also a AAA Four-Diamond resort, where he was selected to serve on the committee to write guest service standards for the newly created Wyndham Historic Hotel Division.
 
Closed and vacant for some 40 years, the King Edward building today stands completely restored, offering 186 rooms under the Hilton Garden Inn brand and 64 luxury apartments on the top floors, representing a total investment of $90 million in Jackson’s downtown. The King Edward project is majority owned by HRI of New Orleans, a pioneer and national leader in the adaptive reuse of historic structures and the revitalization of downtown centers.
 
In addition to the King Edward apartments, another 76 luxury rental units will soon be opening in the adjacent Standard Life Building. The Standard Life apartments are being financed, developed, managed, and owned as an integrated unit with the King Edward. The additional $33.5 million investment in the Standard Life Building increases the total development cost of the King Edward/Standard Life Mixed-Use development to $123 million.
 
About HRI Properties
Based in New Orleans with offices in St. Louis, Missouri, HRI is a full-service real estate development company and a national leader in the adaptive reuse of historic structures. HRI’s mission is revitalizing cities by creating diverse, vibrant, sustainable communities. For more information, go to www.hriproperties.com.
 
HRI Lodging operates hotel properties in New Orleans, LA; Shreveport, LA; Jackson, MS and Richmond, VA. HRI hotels include restorations of the D.H. Holmes department store and the Commerce Building in New Orleans, the King Edward Hotel in Jackson and the Miller & Rhoads department store in Richmond, the latter three of which fly the Hilton Garden Inn flag.