SAN DIEGO, CA, August 25, 2008. Horst Schulze, former president/COO and charter member of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS), January 26-28, 2009. Schulze receives this prestigious award in recognition of his remarkable accomplishments in the founding and growth of the successful Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, his outstanding business sense, and acute attention to exceeding guest expectations and needs throughout his hospitality career. Currently, Schulze is president/CEO of West Paces Hotel Group, the parent company of Capella Hotels and Resorts.

Upon joining Ritz-Carlton as a charter member and vice president of operations in 1983, Schulze created efficient and luxurious operations and service standards that have shaped the way numerous other international hotel companies structure their business models. He was appointed executive vice president in 1987, and in 1988, his role was expanded to president/COO. He also held the additional title of vice chairman of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company from 2001-2002. When he left Ritz-Carlton to form the West Paces Hotel Group, Schulze was responsible for the $2 billion Ritz-Carlton operations worldwide and was instrumental in securing two Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Awards in both 1992 and 1999 – making Ritz-Carlton the first and only hotel company to win the award.

In 1991, Schulze was recognized as "corporate hotelier of the world" by HOTELS Magazine. In 1995, he was awarded the Ishikawa Medal for his personal contributions to the quality movement, and in 1999, Johnson & Wales University gave him an honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree in Hospitality Management. Additionally, Ritz-Carlton was continuously voted “best hotel company in the world” by meetings and trade publications while under Schulze’s direction.

Prior to his long tenure with Ritz-Carlton, Schulze spent nine years with Hyatt Hotels Corporation, where he was a hotel general manager, regional vice president, and corporate vice president. Before his association with Hyatt, he worked for Hilton Hotels. Schulze currently serves on the boards of Reliance Trust Company, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, The Travel Institute, Georgia Family Council, and The InfiLaw System.

Co-hosted by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) and the Burba Hotel Network (BHN), the two-and-a-half-day ALIS event features an extensive array of seminars and panels hosted by leading experts and investors discussing important trends and identifying new opportunities. The conference attracts the lodging industry’s leading hotel executives, investors, lenders, developers, and professional advisory community. Proceeds from ALIS benefit the educational, research, and training missions of the Educational Institute (EI) of the American Hotel & Lodging Education Foundation (AH&LEF), AH&LA’s nonprofit affiliate.

Registration is now open for the 2009 conference via the ALIS Website at www.ALISconference.com. For general event information and sponsor opportunities, please visit the Website or contact Jonathon Zink, BHN conference manager, at (714) 540-9300 or jzink@burba.com.
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