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Forbes
Travel Guide Names Iconic Hotelier Jerry Inzerillo as CEO and
Appoints
Three World-Class Executives to Board of Directors
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Company Announces
Significant International Expansion of Five-Star Rating System
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Atlanta,
GA – April 2014 / Newsmaker Alert / Forbes
Travel Guide—the originator of the Five-Star hospitality rating system
and formerly Mobil Travel Guide—announced that Gerard J. Inzerillo, will
become Chief Executive Officer effective May 12, 2014, and will lead the
brand and 56-year old star rating system as it enters as many as ten new
international markets in the coming months.
Inzerillo
is a lifestyle visionary with more than four decades at the helm of some
of the world’s leading hospitality companies, including Kerzner International
Resorts, where he significantly influenced the development of the One &
Only brand and Atlantis Resorts; Ian Schrager Hotels, where he conceptualized
and launched such legendary hotels as Morgans, the Delano and Royalton;
Sun City Resort, where he coordinated major aspects of the 1994 inauguration
of President Nelson Mandela; Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts; and Hilton
Hotels & Resorts. Most recently, he was President and CEO of IMG Artists,
the leading artists’ management, lifestyle and festival company.
“Forbes
Travel Guide is poised for rapid growth and scale as it continues to set
the global standard for luxury hospitality – and there is no better person
to lead that effort than Jerry, a visionary with a proven track record
of building successful luxury brands and creating innovative new market
opportunities,” said Jeff Arnold, Chairman of Forbes Travel Guide. “Jerry’s
extensive experience as a global operator makes him exceptionally well-suited
to lead the Five-Star rating system’s continued expansion and to develop
new ways to bring the world’s finest experiences and best insights to our
members.”
Jerry
Inzerillo said, “I’m thrilled and honored to join the company at this exciting
and dynamic moment in the company’s growth. As someone who created and
ran luxury hotels, I know first-hand how important the Five-Star rating
is to both the hotel and to the traveler’s expectations. I am excited to
work with the team to accelerate introducing new services to the industry
and firmly secure the leadership position in the luxury travel market by
leveraging the unique and special heritage of Forbes Travel Guide.”
The
international expansion will bring the official star ratings into new markets
including Paris, Tokyo, Rome, Mexico and the Caribbean. This comes on top
of the more than 150 markets in which the company currently rates hotels,
restaurants and spas in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, China,
Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau.
“The
global leisure and unmanaged business market for travel bookings at hotels
is worth more than $340 billion,” said Forbes Media President and CEO,
Mike Perlis. “Maximizing the power of the Forbes brand to leverage the
fastest-growing segments online and in mobile is a tremendous opportunity
for us. We reach 28 million qualified consumers per month on Forbes.com
worldwide, and we couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity to expand
our partnership with someone of Jerry’s extraordinary experience and reputation,
as well as the team at Forbes Travel Guide.”
Forbes
Travel Guide also announced the addition of several world-class executives
to its board of directors. Roger Dow, President and CEO of the U.S. Travel
Association, brings over 40 years of executive hospitality leadership experience
and led the creation of the nation’s first-ever communications and promotion
program, known as Brand USA, to increase travel to the United States. Kirk
Posmantur, Axcess Worldwide’s Chairman and CEO, has over 25 years in the
hospitality and luxury/lifestyle industries, and is widely recognized as
the pioneer of the emerging field of partnership development, where he
has conceived and executed scores of partnerships with many of the world’s
most iconic brands. Philip Mengel brings a wealth of market and operating
knowledge as the former Orient-Express Hotels director and Interim CEO,
and former director of The Economist Group, Ltd. These executives will
work closely with Jerry and the Forbes Travel Guide executive team, including
Michael Cascone who will remain as President and Chief Operating Officer.
“We
believe the addition of Jerry and the new Board members to the current
team will enable Forbes Travel Guide to be a global leader in the luxury
hospitality market, continuing to ensure we all deliver the highest quality
service in this dynamic and transformative time,” said Raymond Bickson,
Managing Director and CEO of the Taj Group. “The global travel market is
more transparent today than any time in its history, and Forbes Travel
Guide has embraced this transparency. With Jerry at the helm, the company
will undoubtedly take it to the next level in delivering innovative products
and services for upscale and luxury suppliers and travelers around the
world.”
About
Forbes Travel Guide
Forbes
Travel Guide, formerly Mobil Travel Guide, is the originator of the prestigious
Five-Star Rating system, and has provided the travel industry’s most comprehensive
ratings and reviews of hotels, restaurants and spas since 1958. Forbes
Travel Guide has a team of expert inspectors who anonymously evaluate properties
against up to 800 rigorous and objective standards, providing consumers
the insight to make better-informed travel and leisure decisions. Forbes
Travel Guide is the gold standard for luxury hospitality ratings worldwide.
For more information about Forbes Travel Guide, visit ForbesTravelGuide.com.
ForbesTravelGuide.com
combines the objectivity and heritage of the Forbes Travel Guide Star Rating
system with insightful recommendations from a hand-selected group of travel
experts, tastemakers and Forbes Travel Guide inspectors. ForbesTravelGuide.com
is the exclusive online destination for Forbes Travel Guide’s list of Star
Rated hotels, restaurants and spas, and gives its registered members exclusive
access to special offers and curated experiences from select Forbes Travel
Guide partners.
Connect
with Forbes Travel Guide: www.twitter.com/ForbesInspector,
www.facebook.com/ForbesTravelGuide,
and www.instagram.com/ForbesTravelGuide.
Media
Contact:
Michael
Frenkel
MFC
PR – New York
for
Forbes Travel Guide
212-808-6559 |