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Gary Sims Appointed Managing Director
at La Quinta Resort & Club


 
LA QUINTA, Calif. �  (September 8, 2010) � Gary L. Sims, previously the executive vice president of operations for Desires Hotels International, has been named managing director of La Quinta Resort & Club and PGA WEST, a 45-acre desert retreat and a championship-caliber golf destination known for its colorful Hollywood history, world-class amenities and unique secluded ambience.
 
In his new position, Sims will oversee 1200 employees and all day-to-day operations for the legendary property � a desert area icon for nearly 85 years and a member of Hilton Worldwide�s Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts � which encompasses 796 guest casitas and suites, 23 tennis courts, 41 swimming pools and 53 whirlpool spas, eight dining venues, a 23,000-square-foot spa and 90 holes of award-winning golf at the resort and nearby PGA WEST.
 
According to Ben Fusco, area vice president for Hilton Resorts and Hotels-Operations, Sims is a seasoned hotel executive with an impressive track record spanning 30 years of experience in large property operations, branding, development, design, marketing and acquisitions. �Gary�s considerable expertise in all aspects of high-end hotel operations will be critical to our ongoing success, as we work to establish La Quinta Resort and PGA WEST as one of the region�s premier destination properties,� Fusco said. �We are thrilled that he will lead our talented management team as we strive for even higher levels of excellence.�
 
With decades of experience in the hotel industry, Sims was most recently executive vice president of operations for Miami-based Desires Hotels International, a collection of independently created modern boutique hotels, where he worked on an international level to oversee management agreements with properties in St. Vincent, the Grenadines and Colombia, as well projects under development in the Dominican Republic and Montenegro.  
 
Prior to his tenure with Desires, he was president and CEO for Nikki Beach Hotels & Resorts, a luxury brand with properties in Miami, Atlanta. St. Bart�s, St. Tropez and Marbella, where he was instrumental in negotiating management contracts to extend the brand�s worldwide presence. Sims also worked for Starwood Hotels & Resorts, serving as managing director and then vice president of development for the Northeast, as well as managing director for the 1,060-room Westin Diplomat Resort and Spa in Hollywood, Fla.  
 
Sims is not new to the Hilton brand, working for Doubletree Hotels for more than a decade as a general manger for properties in Atlanta, Boston, Cincinnati and Tampa. He began his hotel career at AIRCOA, where he helped open eight new hotel properties throughout the Southeast and West. 
 
A native of Fresno, California, he holds a bachelor of arts degree in political science from the University of Central Florida. In addition, Sims is a certified hotel administrator by the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute.
 
La Quinta Resort & Club and PGA WEST feature world-class accommodations, dining, golf, tennis and fitness. Known as The Western Home of Golf in America®, the world renowned destination is home to 90 holes of award-winning golf courses � designed by legends Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Pete Dye, Greg Norman and Tom Weiskopf � as well as instruction at the Jim McLean Golf School. In addition to great golf, La Quinta Resort features 796 elegantly appointed casitas, suites and villas; 23 tennis courts; the 23,000-square-foot Spa La Quinta® with 41 pools and 53 hot spas; and exceptional cuisine at Morgan�s in the desert, Twenty6 and Adobe Grill. La Quinta Resort & Club is a member of Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts. For more information, visit www.laquintaresort.com. 
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Contact: 

Marguarite Clark
(949) 295-2801
[email protected]
 

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Also See: Stephen Strickland Named Executive Chef of the La Quinta Resort & Club, La Quinta, California; Will Oversee Seven Dining Outlets at the 796-room Property / August 2010
James F. Pedone Named Executive Director of Sales and Marketing at La Quinta Resort & Club in La Quinta, California / June 2010
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