| Asheville, NC (April 27, 2000) � Michael Chaffin
has joined The Biltmore Company as vice president and general manager of
the new Inn on Biltmore Estate, announced Biltmore Company Senior Vice
President Tom Ruff. The facility, currently under construction, is
scheduled to open spring 2001.
Chaffin will focus on pre-opening activities until construction of the
inn is completed. Upon opening, he will oversee all facets of inn
operations including guest service, sales, food and beverage operations,
marketing, building maintenance, grounds maintenance and financial analysis
and review. Chaffin will also be responsible for the coordination
of inn operations with other departments on the estate.
Chaffin brings more than 15 years experience in hospitality management
to Inn on Biltmore Estate. He most recently served as general manager
for the Stephen F. Austin Hotel in Austin, TX. He was responsible
for all pre-opening activities during the complete restoration of the historic
luxury hotel, originally built in 1924. Prior to that, he was employed
as general manager for the four-diamond Omni Hotel in Austin.
Chaffin�s hospitality career includes employment with Omni Hotels in
San Antonio and Austin, Texas; Doubletree Hotels in California, Missouri
and Colorado; Anahotel, Ltd. in California; and the Henry VIII Hotel in
Missouri.
| �We are confident that Mr. Chaffin�s extensive
experience with upscale and luxury accommodations will ensure Inn on Biltmore
Estate is a property recognized for excellence both locally and nationally,�
said Ruff. �Our guests have told us they want an opportunity to experience
Vanderbilt hospitality as an overnight guest of Biltmore Estate.
Selecting a general manager of his background takes us one step closer
to making that possible.�
Chaffin holds a BA in Business Administration with a major in marketing
from the University of Florida, Gainesville.
Biltmore Estate plans a spring 2001 opening for its 213-room deluxe
inn on the property. The inn will be located on a hill overlooking
Biltmore Estate Winery and the Blue Ridge Mountains. The overall focus
for the property will be to replicate the graciousness of America�s resorts
at the turn-of-the-century. The facility will offer a variety of
guest rooms and suites, as well as banquet, board and meeting rooms. Inn
on Biltmore Estate will also incorporate a full-service, 150-seat fine-dining
restaurant, a library, a lobby bar, an exterior swimming pool and a fitness
room.
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The Biltmore Company has announced it will open a deluxe
inn with more than 200 rooms on Biltmore Estate, called Inn on Biltmore
Estate.
Biltmore Estate, established as a country retreat by
George Vanderbilt in 1895, remains privately owned by Vanderbilt�s heirs
as a for-profit enterprise and welcomes 900,000 guests to the property
each year.
The Inn on Biltmore Estate will be located near Biltmore
Estate Winery, affording spectacular mountain vistas from porches,
balconies and guest rooms. The overall focus for the inn will be to replicate
the graciousness of America�s resorts at the turn of the century,
offering guests the opportunity to experience the same hospitality George
Vanderbilt extended to his family and friends when they visited Biltmore
Estate in the 1890s.
�We have determined the need for another first-class
hotel in the Asheville area through extensive research,� said Stephen
P. Miller, Biltmore Company senior vice president. �We have consistently
based decisions concerning the company�s growth and direction on our guests�
needs and demands. They have told us they want to stay with us, to
immerse themselves in the experience of being a guest at Biltmore Estate.�
Design of the property will be reminiscent of other Estate
structures, incorporating materials such as fieldstone and stucco. The
intention of the design team is to create an inn with a sensitivity to
the historic significance of the site, creating a structure in keeping
with the spirit of gracious resort inns in America at the turn of the century. |
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