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Highgate Holdings, LLC and Felcor Appoint Jeff David as Managing Director
of the Soon to Re-Open Landmark Knickerbocker Hotel in New York City



NEW YORK, NY – February 5, 2013
– Highgate Hotels and FelCor Lodging Trust Incorporated are pleased to announce the appointment of Jeff David as Managing Director for the Knickerbocker Hotel in New York City. The iconic landmark tower located on 42nd and Broadway in Times Square, that originally opened in 1906, will debut as an updated 330-room and suite lifestyle boutique hotel for the upscale corporate and leisure traveler. With his five star pedigree spanning twenty years in hospitality management, and as recent winner of the prestigious ‘Hotelier of the Year Award 2012’, David will lead the hotel through an initial repositioning phase before its reopening in early 2014.
 
David brings with him an extensive background in the luxury market. Having launched his career at one of the world’s most recognized properties, the Four Seasons Regent Beverly Wilshire in Los Angeles, David built a solid foundation of expertise in this sector. His growth continued with a move to the Four Seasons Boston where he functioned as an integral part of the management team that elevated the property into the only 5-Star, 5-Diamond hotel in New England.
 
After nine years at Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, David managed independent hotels and was later recruited by the Los Angeles-based Viceroy Hotel Group, a lifestyle hospitality brand known the world over for stylized properties across a range of markets. As a fundamental part of this team for almost six years, his tenure at properties in Palm Springs, California, Snowmass, Colorado and Anguilla in the British West Indies provided extensive exposure to the inner workings of these luxury hotels in the brand’s portfolio.
 
Most recently as the General Manager of the Viceroy Anguilla, David was a key player in opening and operating of this $550 million flagship property. His efforts here were recognized when he won the coveted title of ‘Hotelier of the Year 2012’ at the Anguilla Hotel and Tourism Associations (AHTA) Annual Tourism Gala in December 2012. David also managed the historic Viceroy Palm Springs in California, traveling regularly between the two destinations. David later transitioned from his post in Anguilla and Palm Springs to oversee the 2009 opening of the Viceroy Snowmass, a $200 million ski-in, ski-out facility that he guided through an on-time, under budget launch.
 
Additionally, David has served as the Food and Beverage Director at Rosewood Hotel’s and Resort’s Little Dix Bay on Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands, as well as General Manager of several distinct luxury New England properties including the famed Chatham Bars Inn on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and The Chanler at Cliffwalk in Newport, Rhode Island.
 
“This is an incredibly exciting development for Highgate Hotels as we continue to expand the Lifestyle Division, and I am confident David will infuse his experience and expertise to reinvent this classic hotel,” said Jeff Toscano, Vice President of Operations for the Lifestyle Division of Highgate Hotels.
 
“The move to New York is even sweeter now” said David. “The reopening of the Knickerbocker Hotel is a tremendous opportunity to reintroduce one of New York’s storied, iconic hotels as a true upscale lifestyle destination. I am delighted to join this visionary company who will help shape the way Luxury Lifestyle Hotels operate in the future”
 
David graduated with Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of California in Los Angeles and received his Certificate in Wine Stewardship from the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley. He is most recognized for his creativity and leadership ability, as well as the fact that many of the properties he has managed have ranked at the top of their respected regions in various indexes, from guest satisfaction to RevPAR.   
 
About Highgate Holdings, LLC
Highgate Hotels is a leading independent and fully integrated hospitality management company. Founded in 1988, the firm has owned, individually and with partners, more than 80 hotel properties, and presently owns and operates a portfolio of more than 22,000 rooms located primarily in New York City, San Francisco, Washington DC, and Hawaii, with future developments underway in Boston and Miami. Highgate’s Lifestyle Division of Hotels, focused on the luxury and lifestyle markets, includes iconic properties such as the Paramount Hotel, The Milford NYC and the Quin, which makes its debut in to New York City in Summer 2013.
 
About FelCor Lodging Trust Incorporated
“FelCor”, a real estate investment trust, owns 66 primarily upper-upscale, full-service hotels that are located in major and resort markets throughout 22 states.  FelCor partners with leading hotel companies to operate its diversified portfolio of hotels, which are flagged under globally recognized names such as Fairmont®, Sheraton® and Westin® and premier independent hotels in New York such as Morgans and Royalton.  Additional information can be found on the Company's website at www.felcor.com.
 
About The Knickerbocker Hotel
The Knickerbocker Hotel will be a monument to New York’s coming of age when it reopens its doors in early 2014. A listed Beaux-Arts building, the original Knickerbocker Hotel welcomed glitterati and dignitaries since opening in 1906, and is the rumored birthplace of the martini, invented by house bartender, Martini di Arma di Tagga, in 1912.  The iconic property was operated as a hotel until 1921, and its prominent mansard roof with terra-cotta detail still dominates the southeast corner of 42nd street in the heart of Times Square. World-renowned architect and interior design team, Gabellini-Sheppard, will harness the property’s glamorous past and reimagine this upscale destination to its former glory, showcasing 330- guest rooms and suites, a comprehensive fitness studio, events space for up to 250 guests, a signature restaurant and bar, and a 7,500 square foot rooftop bar and terrace overlooking Times Square (perfect for viewing the New Year’s Eve Ball on Broadway). 
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Contact: 

Harrison & Shriftman
Chris Maggio
[email protected]

 

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Also See: FelCor Lodging Trust Acquires Iconic New York City Knickerbocker Hotel for $115 million; Also Marketing 16 Non-Strategic Hotels to Support Portfolio Repositioning Strategy and Strengthen Balance Sheet / February 2012

FelCor Lodging Trust Sells the Holiday Inn Toronto-Yorkdale in Canada to Easton Hotel Group / December 2011

FelCor Names Troy A. Pentecost as EVP and Chief Operating Officer / July 2010

FelCor Names Donald J. Falgoust as Vice President Food & Beverage / February 2008
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