MINNEAPOLIS, June 7, 2011 -- Carlson, a global hospitality and travel company, today announced that Mary Kay Caschetta has been appointed vice president of Loyalty for Carlson Hotels, effective immediately. She reports to Heather Passe, vice president, Marketing, Loyalty and E-Commerce, Carlson Hotels. The company recently announced the launch of its new hotel loyalty program, Club Carlson.

"The launch of Club Carlson was just the beginning of our ambitious plans for the program, and Mary Kay will be a tremendous asset as we continue to innovate to develop and drive value from customer loyalty," said Passe. "Membership in Club Carlson has reached 6.8 million – a 36 percent increase since we launched our Ambition 2015 strategy, and we are eager to continue building on this momentum."

Caschetta joins Carlson from Delta Air Lines, where she managed a variety of revenue-generating functions in her 20 year marketing department tenure. Prior to Delta, Caschetta worked in various management consulting roles, including as an internal consultant at Marriott International. Her strong cross-functional expertise and hospitality experience will support Carlson's Ambition 2015 strategy to win the revenue battle.

Caschetta holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y., and a bachelor's degree in economics and business administration from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn. She is also a certified project management professional.

About Carlson
Carlson is a global hospitality and travel company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn. Carlson encompasses more than 1,070 hotels, including Radisson®, Country Inns & Suites By Carlson(SM), Park Inn by Radisson and Park Plaza®; more than 900 T.G.I. Friday's® restaurants; and a majority stake in Carlson Wagonlit Travel®, the global leader in business travel management. Carlson operates in more than 150 countries and its brands employ about 170,000 people. http://www.carlson.com