MERRILLVILLE, Ind., Aug. 17, 2011-- North Carolina native Jason Smith has relocated to the Lake Forest, Illinois area to assume the General Manager position at the Hilton Garden Inn. An industry veteran with more than 12 years of General Manager expertise, this is Smith's first position with White Lodging.

In commenting on his move to White Lodging, Smith said he was thrilled to join the company and recognizes it as an organization with an exceptional culture and an outstanding reputation.

A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Smith's first General Manager job was at the Hampton Inn & Suites in Wilmington where he was employed by Summit Hospitality. Smith stayed with Summit Hospitality for the next ten years working as a General Manager at the Residence Inn by Marriott in Raleigh, North Carolina; the Residence Inn by Marriott in Chapel Hill, North Carolina; and then at the Hampton Inn back in Wilmington. In this position he planned and executed a pre-opening public relations and marketing campaign, which culminated with a grand-opening event attended by more than 100 key decision makers.

Smith joined The Generation Companies in 2009 as a General Manager at the Homewood Suites in Wilmington. "Jason was responsible for the opening of this property," said White Lodging Regional Vice President Mark Aftanski. "He has a great track record at all of the properties he has headed up and we are pleased to have him on our team."

White Lodging Services Corporation was established in 1985 and is headquartered in Merrillville, Indiana. White Lodging is a fully integrated hotel ownership, development, and operations company – a recognized leader that has defined and cultivated the ability to achieve consistent, sustainable growth among mid- to large-scale hotels across the country. Their current portfolio consists of over 155 hotels in 18 states and encompasses representation of the following leading brands: Marriott International, Inc., Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt Global, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, InterContinental Hotel Group, and Carlson Hotels Worldwide.

For more information about White Lodging, please visit www.whitelodging.com or call 219-472-2900.