7th July 2010 � Multi-brand hotel operator CHI Hotels & Resorts (CHI) announces the appointment of seasoned hotelier Marco P. Nijhof as its Chief Operating Officer.
 
CHI is the exclusive operator of the luxury Corinthia brand as well as the Wyndham and Ramada Plaza Brands in Europe, Africa and the Middle East (EMEA). Marco will be directing the company�s strategic operational objectives to maximize product quality, guest satisfaction and profitability. 
 
Marco Nijhof joins CHI following an illustrious international career. His last appointment was that of senior vice president of the Kuwaiti Commercial Real Estate Center Company, with responsibility for the operation, development and management of their five-star luxury hotel investments. Prior to that, Marco was the Dubai-based senior vice president Middle East, Africa and South Asia for Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts. Prior to Jumeirah, Marco was based in Paris as the director of operations and of development for Serena Hotels, owned and operated by the secretariat of his highness the Aga Khan. Between 2001 and 2003 he was the chief operating officer and a main board director of the Boscolo Group & Boscolo International, responsible for the Group�s hotel business.
 
Welcoming Marco�s appointment CHI�s CEO & MD Tony Potter said �Marco Nijhof joins CHI at an extremely exciting time, when we are actively expanding our hotel operations across all our brands both in our traditional European markets as also in key emerging destinations, especially in Africa and the Middle East. With his extraordinary senior executive experience and his extensive international luxury hospitality knowledge and talent, Marco will be influential in supporting our rapid growth, while at the same time overseeing and improving our current operational base. He is certainly a great asset to the Group.�
 
�CHI Hotels and Resorts was a natural move for me� commented Marco. �Importantly, apart from its wonderful properties worldwide, the company puts great focus on its team members and on superior product quality throughout, which are both very close to my heart. I am truly excited by the prospect of working as both coach and team-player in helping to grow CHI further.�
 
Marco, a Dutch national, obtained certificates in Strategic Negotiations and in High Performance Financial Management from Harvard University and Cornell University respectively. Besides his native language, he also speaks English, French, German, Italian and Greek. He is based at CHI�s headquarters in Floriana, Malta.
 
About CHI Hotels & Resorts (CHI)
Based in Malta, CHI Hotels & Resorts is a hotel management company that provides the full range of technical assistance and management services to hotel owners worldwide. CHI is the exclusive operator of the luxury Corinthia Hotels brand as well as the Wyndham and Ramada Plaza brands in Europe, Africa and The Middle East. CHI draws on a heritage of over 48 years in delivering high quality services to hotel guests and an optimum rate of return to owners and investors in diverse business environments. CHI�s experience extends to management of luxury and upscale properties in city and resort locations and products ranging from boutique to conference and Spa hotels. CHI is owned by International Hotel Investments plc (70%) and the Wyndham Hotel Group (30%).
 
About Corinthia Hotels
Corinthia Hotels is an internationally acclaimed Brand of luxury hotels in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Libya, Malta, Portugal and Russia. Founded by the Pisani family of Malta in the 1960s, the Corinthia brand stands in that proud tradition of Mediterranean hospitality and its signature services communicate the �Warm smiles, Inspired Flavors and Pleasant Surprises� of its Maltese heritage. All Corinthia hotels feature state-of-the art conference areas, extensive leisure and business traveler facilities, and are each renowned for their uniqueness of character. Corinthia Hotels� portfolio includes the award-winning Corinthia Hotel Budapest in Hungary, the Corinthia Hotel Prague in the Czech Republic, the Corinthia Hotel St Petersburg in Russia and the Corinthia Palace Hotel & Spa in Malta. The portfolio also features the splendid Corinthia Hotel St George�s Bay in Malta, the superior five-star Corinthia Hotel in Tripoli, Libya and the modern Corinthia Hotel Lisbon in Portugal. The latest addition to the Corinthia Hotels portfolio is the Corinthia Hotel, Whitehall Place, London � due to open in early 2011.