CHICAGO, April 11, 2019 — Waterton, a Chicago-based real estate investor and operator, is pleased to announce the hiring of Matt Mering as executive vice president, hospitality. Mr. Mering will be responsible for the formulation and execution of Waterton's hotel investment strategy, oversight of asset management and further developing investor relationships.

Mr Mering joins Waterton with over 23 years of hospitality experience. He most recently served as director of development at Graves Hospitality, where he was responsible for identifying new hospitality development and acquisition opportunities and oversight of the company's food and beverage operations. Previously, Mr. Mering was a principal at Salita Development, where he served as director of development.

"We are thrilled to have Matt on board and are confident that he will play an important role in strategically growing our hospitality portfolio," said David Schwartz, CEO, chairman and co-founder of Waterton. "Matt's leadership experience combined with the strengths of Waterton and Waterford will provide a broad platform to execute our investment plan."

The announcement follows Waterton's recent merger with Waterford Hotel Group, a leading hospitality management company. The strategic alliance combined Waterton's investment and asset management expertise with Waterford's operational expertise as the companies seek to strategically grow their hospitality portfolios.