The hotel group also increased the global sales force by a total of nine associates in the Chicago, New York, London, Brazil and Milan offices. The newest members of the sales force are Robin Graham, Manager of Corporate Sales; Barbara Redin, Manager of Group Sales; Georgina Zizzo, Manager of Group Sales-The Conference Collection; Michele Ross, Manager of Group Sales; Wendy Kierle, Manager of Travel Industry Sales; Mark Jones, Manager of Corporate Sales; Fiona Jones, Manager of Group Sales; Roberta Possenti, Senior Sales Manager; and Simone Correa, Senior Sales Manager.

�Preferred is excited to welcome these new talented professionals to the team during this time of tremendous change and growth,� said Bob Van Ness, Vice President of Worldwide Sales for Preferred Hotels & Resorts, Inc. �And as the company responds to the competitive challenges posed by global hotel chains and ever-expanding technology, we must have senior positions held by responsive managers who provide personalized service now more than ever.  Heather Nelson, Karime Buraye and Rick Stiffler are uniquely qualified to meet the needs of today�s corporate travel professional and travel consultant looking for exceptional properties and exceptional services.�

Promotions

Heather Nelson joined Preferred Hotels in 2000 as Manager of Corporate Sales and was promoted in April, 2002 to Director of Corporate Sales. In her new position Heather will oversee the direction of the corporate sales personnel within North America, manage the sales and centralization effort for all consortia and mega-agencies, and assist in the development of budgets, strategic action plans and promotional activities. 

Karime Buraye joined Preferred Hotels in June 2000 and was promoted to Manager of Corporate Sales in March 2002. With her new position, Karime will be responsible for increasing production for top corporate accounts in the North East Region, developing new accounts within the corporate account market segment and executing outside call programs for hotel members in the North East Region. 

Rick Stiffler has been an associate of Preferred�s since August, 2000. He started as the Manager of Travel Industry Accounts and was promoted to Senior Manager of Travel Industry Sales for Preferred Hotels & Resorts. His responsibilities include managing the travel industry market on the East Coast with heavy emphasis on the Northeast market while keeping travel agencies abreast of what�s happening with the Preferred Hotels collection. Other responsibilities include helping to develop support material and services for the industry, coordinating sales calls and promotional events for member hotels and maintaining the high visibility of the Preferred Hotels® & Resorts brand.

New Associates

Robin Graham joins Preferred as the Manager of Corporate Sales in the Chicago office. She has over twenty years of sales experience holding positions such as Sales Manager with Rosemont Suites Hotel, Corporate Sales Manager with the Radisson Hotel & Suites and the Director of Business Travel at the Talbott Hotel. 

Barbara Redin will be the Manager of Corporate Sales for the Chicago area. She has held various titles at several hotels including the Director of Sales at the Lenox Suites Hotel and The Whitehall Hotel in Chicago and Associate Director of Sales at the Mandarin Oriental in Miami, Florida. 

Georgina Zizzo joins Preferred as Manager of Group Sales for The Conference Collection. She has five years of sales experience having worked with State Farm and Nextel Communications and most recently with the Leading Hotels of the World Groups Division. 

Michele Ross joins Preferred as Manager of Group Sales in New York. Michele has 12 years handling group sales nationally and regionally. She has held positions at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel, Harbor Court Hotel, Clarion Inn Pier 5 and the Columbia Hilton. Ms. Ross serves as the Vice President of Communications for PAMPI and has been named as one of Maryland�s �Who�s Who in Maryland Hospitality and Tourism.�

Wendy Kierle joins Preferred as Manager of Travel Industry Sales in the London office. Wendy will cover sales activities for the corporate and travel industry markets within the UK. Having worked previously with Thistle Hotels, Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts, P&O Princess Cruises, Wendy provides excellent knowledge of sales within the UK market.

Mark Jones will be joining the London team as the Manager of Corporate Sales. He brings with him international experience within the sales field and travel industry having previously worked with Air Mauritis, Air Canada, Virgin Atlantic and FedEx. 

Fiona Jones joins Preferred as Manager of Group Sales UK, covering sales activities for the UK groups and conference & incentive markets. Based in the London office, she brings with her experience and sales success from the conference industry in the UK, most recently from an events management company, IBC UK Conferences, and BTI UK Hogg Robinson, one of the largest conference organizers in the UK.

Roberta Possenti joins preferred as Senior Sales Manager in Italy. Based in the Milan office, she will cover the sales activities for the Italian market. Roberta brings with her a wealth of experience of all market sectors within Italy, having most recently worked in the international sales office in Milan with Starwood Hotels & Resorts as well as Hilton Corporation and J. Walter Thompson.

Simone Correa joins Preferred as the Senior Sales Manager in Sao Paulo, Brazil where  she will oversee the travel industry, corporate and group accounts. Simone has eight years of experience in the travel and hospitality industry with previous titles that include Sales Executive/ Manager at Utell Hotels, where she helped start the sales department and also promoted the British chain Thistle Hotels and the St. Giles Hotels for the Brazilian market. Most recently, she has worked with Rumbo Brazil, a new company that offers online travel reservations. 

Founded in 1968, Preferred Hotels & Resorts Worldwide is a global brand of 115 of the world�s finest independently owned and operated luxury hotels and resorts.