Four Corporate Appointments Announced for Southern California-Based KOR Hotel Group

Tom Santora, Brenda Tscharner and Azadeh Nashat receive promotions, while Jonathan Heath is newly ap

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. October 14, 2008

LOS ANGELES, CA, October 17, 2005 (Los Angeles) - John Arnett, President of the Los Angeles-based boutique-hotel operator Kor Hotel Group, is pleased to announce three recent corporate promotions and one new corporate appointment. Tom Santora has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Brenda Tscharner has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Azadeh Nashat has been promoted to the newly created role of Brand Manager for The Kor Group. Jonathan Heath has been appointed to the new position of Corporate Director of Operations for Kor Hotel Group.

"Tom, Brenda and Azadeh are each talented individuals who have contributed significantly to the growth of our company over the years and to the continual emergence of the Kor brand as an industry leader," said Arnett in making the announcements. "Each one exhibits the expertise and desire for leadership excellence that Kor pursues in its personnel."

Commenting on the newly created position of Corporate Director of Operations, Arnett said: "Jonathan's new position represents a vital link in Kor's expanding infrastructure as we continue to focus company efforts on the important concept of branding. Jonathan has recently supported us on numerous projects and done excellent work in terms of leadership skills, innovative thinking, and upgrading our service standards. We are fortunate to have him on board."

Tom Santora: As Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for The Kor Group, Tom continues to supervise all hospitality sales and marketing activities for the company's boutique hotel portfolio, its wholly owned flagged properties, and Kor's contract managed hotels.

Since joining The Kor Group in 2002, Tom has strategically developed the companies' sales and marketing team to include e-commerce, public relations, and segment and national sales. He also supervises development and integration of the company's central reservations office as well as its media planning. His focus on driving top line revenue has contributed to the company's RevPAR growth, consistently outpacing the market and the competitive set. Under Tom's leadership, the sales and marketing team has gained industry recognition for their energy, dedication, and creativity. In the three years Tom has been with Kor, the sales structure has evolved to match and surpass its competitors in direct sales, revenue management, and reservation and distribution services. Before joining Kor, Tom was a 16-year veteran of Marriott International.

Brenda Tscharner: As Senior Vice President of Human Resources for The Kor Group, Brenda oversees all hiring, training, recruitment and benefits for both the Hotel and Residential Developmnent divisions of Kor. She also plans and ensures the consistency of employment policies and procedures, fosters career development opportunities for all staff thought training and consistent feedback, and promotes Kor's "hiring for attitude" philosophy in order to recruit, hire and retain the best staff available.

Brenda began her tenure with Kor in early 2001 after spending 14 years in various human resources management positions with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. Brenda was most recently the Director of Human Resources at the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin, TX before relocating back to California and then joining the Kor Group. She previously worked at the Four Seasons Hotel, Houston, The Four Seasons Resort and Club in Dallas, and The Four Seasons Biltmore Hotel in Santa Barbara. In addition, Brenda was a Corporate Trainer for Four Seasons Hotels from 1994-2000.

Azadeh Nashat: In her new capacity as Brand Manager for The Kor Group, Azadeh will assist in the development of the company's overall brand identity as well as in the creation and establishment of brand identity for the individual hotels in Kor's growing portfolio.

Azadeh joined The Kor Group three years ago as the Catering Events Producer at Viceroy Santa Monica. She was then promoted to General Manager at Maison 140 and, more recently, to the General Manager of Chamberlain in West Hollywood. Prior to joining Kor, Azadeh worked for other brand identity companies including ReVerb and Spiral West.

Jonathan Heath: In Kor Hotel Group's newly created role of Corporate Director of Operations, Jonathan will guide Kor's newest hotels as they transition into the Kor Hotel Group portfolio. In particular, he will oversee the implementation of Kor's uncompromising standards in all areas of hotel operations.

Prior to joining Kor Hotel Group, Jonathan Heath was Development Manager of London's SoHo House from 2001 to 2004, where he oversaw budgeting, design, management and marketing for the company's hotels, restaurants and members-only clubs. Previously, he served as co-General Manager of El Tamarindo and Costa Careyes luxury resorts in Mexico, overseeing budgets, renovation duties, special events and customer satisfaction for a VIP clientele. His experience also includes food and beverage direction and operations of the exclusive resorts Serai in Indonesia and Mahakua in Mexico.