Tom Fidanza Appointed GM of Embassy Suites Jackson, Ridgeland, MS

Upscale, All-suite Hotel Property Appoints Jessica Richardson as Sales Manager

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. October 26, 2008

OCTOBER 23, 2008. Kana Hotel Group, a hotel development and management company, announces the appointment of Tom Fidanza as general manager of the Embassy Suites Jackson-North Ridgeland, set to open in December 2008. He will take charge of the day-to-day management of the property, overseeing team members and their development, and ensuring overall guest satisfaction at the new property.

With more than thirty years of experience in the hospitality industry, Fidanza was most recently general manager of the Homewood Suites by Hilton in Orland Park, IL. He has held top positions at Hilton, Intercontinental and Starwood, in locations including New Jersey, Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Georgia, Arkansas, and Mississippi. Mr. Fidanza has also been involved with five other new construction projects during his career, with this being his first Embassy Suites property.

Jessica Richardson will also be joining the team, as a sales manager. Jessica graduated with a degree in hospitality management from the University of Mississippi and has worked for Four Seasons and Morris Design, Inc. She will aid the director of sales in servicing the customer-base and ensuring that client needs and expectations are fully met and exceeded.

"With his breadth of experience and track record of success, Tom Fidanza is the perfect choice for the position of general manager of the Embassy Suites Jackson-North Ridgeland, the first Embassy Suites in Mississippi and the first Design Option III property in the Embassy Suites portfolio," said Alpesh Patel, president & principal of Kana Hotel Group. "The hiring of Tom Fidanza and of our new sales manager, Jessica Richardson, reflects both Kana Hotel Group and Embassy Suites' continued dedication to hiring and growing the best team members within the hospitality industry."

The 145-suite property, located in the upscale mixed-use complex, Township at Colony Park, marks Embassy Suites Hotels' first Design Option III property, and first upscale all-suite property in the state of Mississippi. With a scalable key count, a flexible layout and a lower building cost, the new Design Option III prototype gives developers more market choice in which to build an Embassy Suites Hotel. Design Option III properties also feature a side-by-side suite design, giving the living space a more residential feel. Like all Embassy Suites properties, the hotel offers complimentary cooked-to-order breakfast, nightly Manager's Reception, and an open-air atrium. The Embassy Suites Jackson-Ridgeland is set to open in December 2008.

The property will also boast the new Embassy Suites restaurant concept, Flying Spoons. Part European-style caf'e and part American coffeehouse, this new concept in hotel food & beverage expands upon the "fast casual" concept made popular by Panera Bread and other bakery-caf'es and creates a new segment: "Hip Casual." Embassy Suites is accommodating the changing needs of guests by providing a range of convenient, fresh dishes and beverages to fit a variety of schedules: from eating on the go to eating smaller, more frequent meals. There are eleven additional Flying Spoons properties in the pipeline.