"With Paul Allen and David Gallagher, we've placed the final pieces of a puzzle of building a strategic, professional team that can configure a solution for virtually every customer," said Joni Simpkins, director of global sales for Regal. "From Boston to Shanghai, we have the product and people to deliver world-class group-business results."

New to the Regal global sales team are Paul E. Allen, a leading Chicagoland meetings professional, and well-known Southern California hotel sales executive David M. Gallagher. Each brings decades of hotel experience to their position.

The two new global account directors round out a team of 10 executives representing 13 North American and seven Asian hotels under the Regal Hotels International brand, and 50 hotels within the management portfolio of Richfield Hospitality Services.

The range of properties includes Regal hotels such as Los Angeles' Regal Biltmore Hotel; Boston's Regal Bostonian Hotel; Chicago's Regal Knickerbocker Hotel; and New York's Regal U.N. Plaza Hotel. The variety of hotels under the Richfield Hospitality management umbrella include the Eldorado Hotel in Santa Fe, and California properties the Sunnyvale Hilton and Clarion Hotel Sacramento. Richfield also offers full-scale convention facilities and services at the American Airlines Training and Conference Center.

Simpkins said the Regal team is celebrating two successes in announcing the completion of the global sales team.

"First, our association, meeting and corporate group-business customers in Los Angeles and Chicago have outstanding new contacts representing incredibly varied choices in North America, as well as some of Asia's top business hotels," explained Simpkins.

"Additionally, hotels under Richfield Hospitality management now can benefit from representation by an truly outstanding global sales team. It's a win-win!"

Allen was introduced to the Midwest market in 1991, when Red Lion Hotels  Inns opened a Chicago sales office. As a result of his success, he was named the company's employee of the year in 1993, and moved to increasingly responsible positions within Red Lion. Following Red Lion's merger with Doubletree, Allen was named senior director of national accounts for Doubletree. He has served on the board of directors of MPI-CAC, the Chicago-area MPI chapter, and received MPI-CAC's "Manager of the Year" honors.

Gallagher comes to Regal from San Diego's renowned Hotel Del Coronado, where he spent eight years, rising to the position of national sales manager. His background includes sales management positions for resort, airport and corporate hotels in Carmel, San Francisco and St. Louis.

Regal Hotels International is a collection of world-class hotels including 7 hotels in Asia and 13 hotels in North America. The newest gem to the Regal crown is the ultra-modern Regal Airport Hotel at the new Hong Kong International Airport, which opened in January 1999. The Regal brand in the U.S. is managed and owned by Englewood, Colo.-based Richfield Hospitality Services.