Atlanta, GA (May 27, 2010) � Atlanta-based Hotel Equities (HE) (www.hotelequities.com) recently named Richard Welch the General Manager for the Courtyard by Marriott in McDonough, GA.  Mr. Welch has responsibility for overseeing management of operations at the hotel including hiring employees and meeting budget goals.  
 
Located at 50 Mill Road in McDonough, just south of metro Atlanta, the 102-room hotel is under construction and expected to open in the summer of 2010.
   
�Richard has the experience, ability and dedication to manage this exciting new asset for our company,� said Tamara Markham, Senior Operations Director for HE. �He brings excellent leadership skills to the job and he�s a �people person.�  Our guests will benefit from his attention to detail and genuine hospitality.�
 
In the hospitality business for over twenty years, Mr. Welch originally worked for Hotel Equities in Operations Management from 1991 until 1994. During that time, he oversaw renovation and capital improvement projects and assisted with hotel evaluations and consulting assignments.
 
In the mid-90�s, he left HE and moved to Florida where he served as General Manager of the Embassy Suites Palm Beach Gardens.  In 2000, his hotel earned the �Embassy Suites Hotel of the Year� award and Mr. Welch won the �Significant Achievement Award for Quality� bestowed by the hotel�s management company.
 
Mr. Welch re-joined Hotel Equities in 2001 as the General Manager of the Fairfield Inn by Marriott-I-77 North in Charlotte, North Carolina.  During his tenure, Marriott named the hotel Fairfield Inn of the Year for the Mid-Atlantic Region and honored Mr. Welch as a Fairfield Inn Magic General Manager in both 2003 and 2004.  
 
In 2007, HE took over the management of The Lodge at Simpsonwood, a struggling retreat and conference center in Norcross.  The company named Mr. Welch the General Manager.  Over the next three years, he used his experience and management skills to bring the property out of debt, help it achieve profitability and expand its market share.
 
�Working in the hospitality industry, I enjoy the opportunity to impact both guests and associates in a positive way,� said Richard Welch.  �I look forward to my new challenge at the Courtyard-McDonough.�
 
In his free time, enjoys following NASCAR and professional football.
 
Hotel Equities (HE) is an Atlanta-based full-scale hotel management, development and consulting firm. Frederick W. Cerrone, CHA, serves as President and CEO.  HE presently holds 46 properties in its portfolio.  For more information, visit www.hotelequities.com