MERRILLVILLE, Ind., Aug. 19, 2011 -- White Lodging recently announced the promotion of Michael Galligan to the position of General Manager at the Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott located near the airport in Austin, Texas.  Most recently he was the Assistant General Manager of the Courtyard by Marriott also located near the Austin airport.

"I have been with White Lodging since 2004, and I went from an hourly position into management within two years," commented Galligan.  He credits his rise in the company in part to participation in White Lodging's extensive leadership programs.

Galligan joined White Lodging soon after graduating from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis where he majored in tourism, conventions and event management.  He began his career as a rooms controller at the Marriott in downtown Indianapolis.  From there, he went on to become a night audit supervisor and then a front desk manager at the same property.

Moving to Austin in 2006 to take a position as the front office manager at the Marriott, Galligan was appointed housekeeping manager at the same property two years later.  In 2009 he again assumed the front office manager role this time at the Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott in north Austin.

"Michael is well suited for the GM role at the Fairfield Inn & Suites," Regional Vice President Kevin Grandin said. "He has been the interim GM for the past 5 months, so this move was natural and we are very confident in him."

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.