December 17, 2012 (BURLINGTON, VERMONT) - Jay Canning, President of Westport Hospitality, LLC based in Burlington, announced the appointment of Hans van Wees as General Manager of the NEW Hotel Vermont. When the contemporary, LEED-certified hotel begins welcoming guests in Spring 2013, van Wees will be responsible for managing the hotel including all operations, sales and marketing and overseeing food and beverage.

A seasoned hospitality professional with extensive Vermont hotel experience, van Wees arrives at Hotel Vermont following senior leadership roles at hotels across New England, Europe and the Caribbean. Trained as an officer in the Dutch army, he launched his career in the Netherlands with Sonesta International Hotels and Resorts before transferring to Bermuda as Resident Manager of in various senior management positions at the 400-room Sonesta Beach Resort and Spa. Van Wees then moved to the U.S. as General Manager of the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont. He also provided consulting services to a variety of businesses throughout New England, including Jay Peak Resort in Jay, Vermont, where he led the opening of the boutique Tram Haus Lodge - a key component of the resort's $200 million expansion.

Along with his hotel management expertise, van Wees is a passionate advocate of sustainable development and operating practices in the hospitality industry. He has spoken on the subject at industry conferences and served as chairman of the Vermont Hospitality Council. He is also actively involved in hospitality education in Vermont, most recently as an adjunct professor at the Business Department of Johnson State College in Vermont.

"We are fortunate to bring Hans' expertise, sophistication and passion to our new hotel," said Jay Canning, President of Westport Hospitality. "I'm confident he is the right leader to successfully launch Burlington's first independent hotel."

Born and raised in the Netherlands, van Wees studied Hospitality Management at the School for Hospitality Management in The Hague and earned an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He is fluent in English and Dutch and also speaks German and French. Van Wees, his wife, Karen and their son, live in Burlington where they enjoy sailing on Lake Champlain as well as biking, hiking and cross-country skiing surrounded by the beauty of Vermont.


About Hotel Vermont
Opening in Spring 2013, Hotel Vermont will stand six stories tall on Cherry Street in Burlington. Ideally located between Waterfront Park and Burlington's Church Street Marketplace - one of the nation's top shopping and entertainment areas - hotel guests will enjoy an authentic "Vermont" experience exuding casual warmth and contemporary comforts for leisure and business travelers alike. Locally designed, developed, owned and operated, the hotel expects to be LEED-certified and welcomes guests to a street-level lobby with wood-burning hearth, granite-clad central core and reclaimed red oak flooring. There are 125 guest rooms that feature indulgent bedding, as well as luxury shower and bath areas with organic amenities especially created by the local aromatherapy experts at Lunaroma. Hotel Vermont is the Burlington home of Hen of the Wood Restaurant, long a Vermont favorite, featuring acclaimed farm-to-table cuisine by 2011 James Beard Award finalist for "Best Chef Northeast," Chef Eric Warnstedt. Juniper, the hotel lounge, serves breakfast, specialty coffees, small plates, local beer and wine, and Vermont inspired "carbon-negative" cocktails that represent all of Vermont's eleven micro-distilleries. Off the lobby, an outdoor terrace and adjacent fire pit overlooks Lake Champlain, as well as the 7,500 square foot Harbor Terrace. This space is Burlington's first green roof and garden, featuring bronze sculptures by Vermont artist, Richard Erdman. Hotel Vermont offers two water view function rooms for meetings and events of up to 80 guests. www.hotelvt.com