Appointments & Promotions

Chartres Lodging Group Restructures Executive Team

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - January 31, 2012 - The San Francisco based hotel and investment advisory firm, Chartres Lodging Group, LLC, today announced the restructuring of its executive team as a result of a growing portfolio and projected growth in 2012. Chartres Lodging is currently responsible for a $2.2 billion, 12,500-room portfolio of luxury and upscale hotels, conference centers and resorts in the United States and Japan. As part of the restructure, former President and Co-Founder Rob Kline has been appointed CEO and Co-Founder, while Managing Partner and Co-Founder Maki Nakamura Bara has been appointed as President and Co-Founder. Both remain Co-Chairmen of their affiliated property management company, Kokua Hospitality.

“We have set aggressive goals for our team to reach over the next two years,” said Maki Nakamura Bara, President and Co-Founder of Chartres Lodging Group. “Our decision to realign our executive team will provide us with the talent and support to reach these internal and external goals.”

Chartres’ acquisition goals include a $1 billion increase in major markets over the next three years. They expect to meet these goals with the company’s solid track record, including a more than 70 percent internal rate of overall return. Chartres Lodging expects to be more active in the early part of the current cycle to capitalize on the growth of the market.

An overview of Chartres’ promotions and new appointments include:

Rob Kline, CEO and Co-Founder – In this position, Kline will oversee Chartres’ corporate finance activities, capital partner relations, new business initiatives and company strategy. Kline was formerly President and Co-Founder

Maki Nakamura Bara, President and Co-Founder – Bara will be responsible for company strategy, maintaining a leadership role in development management and lending her strategic vision in Chartres’ renovation activities. She will also oversee business growth and strategy in the Japanese market. Bara was formerly Managing Partner and Co-Founder.

Kirk Pederson, Chief Investment Officer and Chief Operating Officer – Pederson is responsible for all new acquisitions, operations and management. Pederson joined Chartres Lodging in January.

Maxine Taylor, Executive Vice President and Head of Asset Management – Taylor will oversee all asset management activities, which include collaboration with newly appointed COO & CIO Kirk Pederson on strategic initiatives, establishing and implementing strict processes/procedures for the department. She will also be responsible for providing general guidance to her team. Taylor was formerly Senior Vice President of Asset Management.

Anjali Dusija Agarwal, Vice President – Promoted from Senior Director, Agarwal will assume a leadership role in the asset management of Chartres Lodging’s assets as well as taking a more in-depth role in acquisitions, supervising the underwriting and digging deep into the operations and value enhancement opportunities. She will also be responsible for spearheading efforts in Chartres Lodging’s existing portfolio by examining market and operation details and identifying new value enhancement opportunities with each asset.

Luke Callinan, Senior Director of Acquisitions –In his position, Callinan is responsible for Chartres Lodging’s acquisitions process, assisting with sourcing and evaluating deals and leading Chartres’ market research. He was formerly Director of Acquisitions.

Deanna Quan, Senior Director of Profit Optimization and Asset Management – Quan will be responsible for the Chartres Lodging’s property management division at sister company, Kokua Hospitality, in addition to asset management at Chartres Lodging Group, LLC. She will also continue to lead Chartres Lodging’s profit maximization function for the Kokua-managed assets, and serve as a liaison between the property and asset management functions.

Katie Prats, Vice President of Human Resources for Chartres Lodging and Kokua Hospitality – In this position, Prats will be responsible for the Human Resources function for sister company, Kokua Hospitality, and Chartres Lodging. Prats was promoted from Director of HR for Kokua Hospitality.

Chartres Lodging Group, LLC, most recently opened the first Hyatt Place branded property in the Hawaii market, Hyatt Place Waikiki, in joint partnership with Morgan Stanley Real Estate Funds. The company is also in the process of completing a hotel acquisition in New York City that will require a large physical repositioning.

Chartres Lodging has been named a finalist in M&A Advisor’s 6th Annual Turnaround Awards in the Turnaround of the Year and the Real Estate categories.

About Chartres Lodging Group, LLC
The Chartres Lodging Group, LLC, is an investment and advisory firm focused on the acquisition, asset management, renovation and development, and property management of lodging assets. Chartres Lodging’s principals have been responsible for over $8 billion of lodging investments and have asset managed over 100 upscale and luxury hotels, resorts and conference centers. The firm is currently responsible for a $2.2 billion, 12,500-room portfolio of luxury and upscale hotels, conference centers and resorts in the United States and Japan. Chartres Lodging's principals and employees are direct investors in 90 percent of this portfolio. For more information on The Chartres Lodging Group, please visit www.chartreslodging.com.

About Kokua Hospitality, LLC
Kokua Hospitality is a property management firm affiliated with The Chartres Lodging Group, LLC, of San Francisco. Purposely created by lodging management and operational experts as a management company with an investors’ sensibility, Kokua Hospitality blends the attention to detail of a customer service entity with the rigors of a real estate investment concern. The name (pronounced “koh-kooh-ah”) is Hawaiian for “to serve.” Based in San Francisco, Kokua Hospitality manages a growing portfolio of hotels and resorts nationwide. For more information on Kokua Hospitality, please visit www.kokuahospitality.com.

.

Sign up to receive more articles like this on the Hotel Newswire Daily Digest eNewsletter.