| PARSIPPANY, N.J., Dec. 5, 2000 - Steven J. Belmonte, president and
chief executive officer of Ramada Franchise Systems Inc. and executive
vice president of Cendant Corporation�s Hotel Division, has been named
chairman of the American Hotel Foundation.
Belmonte was elected during the organization�s board of trustees meeting
in New York earlier this week. His one-year term will begin on January
1,
2001. He succeeds Thomas F. Hewitt, who served three consecutive
years.
Belmonte, who has served as an AHF trustee for more than six years,
currently is chairman of the organization�s recently established New
Century
Fund Campaign and has been the foundation�s secretary for the last
three
years. He assumed the additional role of vice chairman in July
2000.
| Earlier this year, he was also a major force
in implementing an AHF Industry Awareness Campaign.
 Belmonte
will play an integral part in developing a fund-raising initiative through
the New Century Fund Campaign to provide scholarships for undergraduate
students and hotel employees. The fund also will enable AHF to develop
and enhance training programs, fund research initiatives and support the
industry in utilizing the latest technology services.
During Belmonte�s two-year term as chairman of the AHF�s Fund Development
Committee, the support for the organization�s annual giving campaign grew
from zero to nearly $100,000.
�My involvement with the AHF allows me to have a proactive � not a reactive
� role in the hospitality industry,� said Belmonte. �Supporting the work
of AHF is an investment in the future of hospitality and our future in
it.�
Douglas Viehland, AHF president, said the organization has been �blessed
with leadership� during the previous decade, including the chairmanships
of John Sharp, Allen Ostroff and Thomas Hewitt.
�Steve represents our leadership for the start of this new century,�
Viehland said. �Knowing what he has achieved personally and professionally
and his proven leadership already on behalf of the foundation, we will
be well positioned to assure AHF excels in fulfilling its mission of service
to the
lodging industry during his tenure as chairman.�
Belmonte�s support of charitable causes extends beyond the hospitality
industry. He currently serves as board chairman of the Inner City
Games and chairman of Childreach�s honorary board. He has been honored
by that organization with its prestigious Humanitas Award.
|
| Steven J. Belmonte,
President and Chief Executive Officer of Ramada Franchise Systems, Inc.
and Executive Vice President of the Cendant Hotel Division, is a career
hotelier.
A native of Chicago, Mr. Belmonte became the youngest
general manager in the history of Holiday Inn when he took over the management
of the Holiday Inn O�Hare Airport at the age of 18.
Currently, Mr. Belmonte is responsible for operation and
administration of the Ramada brand, which has over 1,000 hotels and 130,000
hotel rooms throughout the United States. Mr. Belmonte has presided
over Ramada since 1991, and the chain has more than doubled since the acquisition
by HFS in 1990.
Major accomplishments include adding the Ramada Limited®
and Ramada Plaza Hotel® tiers, while introducing a new state-of-the-art
reservation system and launching the bold �Ramada�s In/Holiday�s Out� advertising
campaign.
As part of his plan to solidly position the Ramada chain
in the upper-mid-tier segment, Mr. Belmonte unveiled the revolutionary
customer service initiative, Personal Best HospitalitySM. This comprehensive
initiative was designed to teach each and every employee, from the entry-level
desk clerk to the general manager, how to give his or her �Personal Best�
to make guests� stay at Ramada a comfortable and memorable one.
Although never graduating from college, Mr. Belmonte ensured
that incentives like tuition assistance and professional certification
would be a key ingredient of the initiative to foster a career path for
Ramada property employees. Mr. Belmonte, however, is the proud recipient
of an Honorary Doctorate from Hocking College in Ohio for his leadership
of the Ramada chain and for sharing his experience with aspiring hospitality
professionals.
Prior to accepting his current position, Mr. Belmonte
was the President and CEO of Equity Hotel Corporation, a hotel management
firm that he co-founded in 1984.
Due to his experiences as a franchisee and a hands-on
operator, Mr. Belmonte is exceptionally sensitive to the needs of the Ramada
franchise community. His goals for the brand are to establish a stronger
brand identity among travelers, provide them with a high price/value ratio
and thus increase the profitability of Ramada franchise owners. |
|
Belmonte, a career hotelier and Chicago native, is responsible for the
operation and administration of the Ramada® brand, which includes nearly
1,000 hotels throughout the United States.
AHF is a not-for-profit affiliate of the American Hotel & Motel
Association. Over the last 40 years, AHF has provided funding for
industry research, granted scholarships to hospitality management students
and helped enhance public awareness of the lodging industry.
AH&MA, founded in 1910, is a federation of U.S. state lodging associations
representing some 11,000 hotels and more than 1.4 million rooms.
AH&MA
provides operations, technical, educational, marketing, and communications
services plus governmental affairs representation to the lodging industry.
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