Desires Hotels Announces New Sales Executives
MARCH 13, 2008. Desires Hotels today announced that it has named Mark Schmidt North American leisure sales director and Lilian Garzon director of global tour operator sales.
Mark Schmidt has more 15 years of hospitality sales experience and was most recently national leisure sales manager with Elegant Hotels Group. In his current position, Mark will be based in New York and is responsible for marketing the Desires Hotels' portfolio to the leisure market via travel agents. Additionally, he will attend consumer and travel agent trade shows and lead educational Web casts that will provide information about Desires Hotels.
Lilian Garzon has more than 14 years of experience in the hospitality industry and has been with Desires Hotels since 2006 as the director of regional sales Miami Beach. In her new position, Garzon will be responsible for developing new business opportunities with the international and domestic tour operator/ leisure market. Prior to joining Desires Hotels, Garzon was the director of sales of the Best Western South Miami and Clarion Hotel Suites in downtown Miami.
"The appointments of Mark and Lilian support our strategic plan to aggressively market our unique modern boutique hotel portfolio to the professional travel agent/tour operator industry," said Doug Carrillo, senior vice president of sales and marketing with Desires Hotels. "Both Mark and Lilian have proven track records of success and we are confident that they will help our Desires portfolio reach the sales and marketing goals we have established for 2008 and beyond."
About Desires Hotels
Desires Hotels is a Miami-based hotel management company which provides a wide range of services to both institutional and individual owners of independently branded modern boutique hotels in the United States and Caribbean. The Desires portfolio currently includes the award-winning 93-room Sagamore Hotel, the 66-room Wave Hotel, the 83-room Circa 39, the 40-room Hotel Astor, the 62-room Betsy Hotel, the 24-room St. Augustine Hotel and the 87-room condo hotel The Strand Ocean Drive in Miami Beach, Fla., the award-winning 76-room San Juan Water & Beach Club Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the 110-room Glenn Hotel in Atlanta, Ga., the 235-room Hotel Mela in New York City, NY, and the 100-room Iron Horse Hotel in Milwaukee, WI, scheduled to open the summer of 2008.
Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is a global leading lodging company based in Bethesda,Maryland, USA, with more than 4,200 properties in 80 countries and territories. Marriott International reported revenues of nearly $14 billion in fiscal year 2014. The company operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts under 19 brands, including: The Ritz-Carlton®, BVlgari®, EDITION®, JW Marriott®, Autograph Collection® Hotels, Renaissance® Hotels, Marriott Hotels®, Delta Hotels and Resorts®, Marriott Executive Apartments®, Marriott Vacation Club®, Gaylord Hotels®, AC Hotels by Marriott®, Courtyard®, Residence Inn®, SpringHill Suites®, Fairfield Inn & Suites®, TownePlace Suites®, Protea Hotels® and MoxyHotels®. Marriott has been consistently recognized as a top employer and for its superior business ethics. The company also manages the award-winning guest loyalty program, Marriott Rewards® and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards® program, which together surpass 50 million members. For more information or reservations, please visit our website at 
