Asaad Farag Appointed GM of Corinthia in St Petersburg, Russia

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. April 02, 2009

1 APRIL 2009 - Malta-based CHI Hotels & Resorts (CHI) announced the appointment of US National Asaad M. Farag as the new General Manager of its renovated and upgraded five-star Corinthia Hotel St Petersburg, Russia. Assad M Farag joins CHI following a long and impressive international career in senior hotel management positions.

Asaad's most recent appointment was that of general manager of the 770 room IHG Hotel in Time Square New York, where he successfully managed a multi-million renovation and re-branding project. Prior to that, Asaad was the general manager of the Conrad Hotel & Conference Centre in Istanbul Turkey. He also managed the Regent Hotel & Spa - Wall Street New York, operated by Carlson Hospitality, The Turnberry Place Resort - Las Vegas and The St. Regis Hotel - Los Angeles, California.

In his earlier career Asaad was a vice president at the MGM Grand Las Vegas, director of F&B at the Beverly Hills Hotel California and executive director of F&B at the Plaza Hotel New York. In addition, he held various senior management positions with Ritz Carlton and Walt Disney Groups. Asaad M. Farag is a trustee of the Five Star Diamond American Hospitality of Science and a member of the esteemed Cha^ine des R^otisseurs. He is a graduate of the Helwan University in Cairo, Egypt.

"Asaad brings considerable experience, flair and acumen to our senior general management team" said CHI Hotels & Resorts CEO and managing director Tony Potter. "He has an excellent pedigree that will ensure a professional and strong opening and operation of our new hotel and facilities in St. Petersburg. With the renovation phase now nearing completion, Asaad's immediate task will be to develop the hotel's key marketing strategy and to establish the property as one of the finest examples of hospitality and service in the gateway city of St. Petersburg."

The five-star Corinthia Hotel St. Petersburg, which first opened its doors in July 1993 after the renovation of two historic 19th century buildings in the heart of St. Petersburg, was acquired by International Hotel Investments (IHI) in 2002 and joined the prestigious Corinthia Hotels brand of upscale properties throughout Europe and the Mediterranean basin. The hotel is operated by CHI Hotels & Resorts and features in the Wyndham Grand Collection, an exquisite collection of artfully appointed hotels representing one-of-a kind experiences in unique destinations around the world.

The second phase of the project now nearing completion will see the extension and integration of the main building into the adjoining building at 59, Nevskij Prospect. This extension will add another 107 deluxe executive guestrooms to the hotel, together with a 250 square-metre Presidential Suite, bringing the hotel's total inventory to 390 rooms, together with a new Executive Lounge. In addition, the extension will feature the City's finest hotel conference centre, with 14 state-of-the-art meeting rooms including a Grand Ballroom, with a total capacity for over 700 guests. This will enable Corinthia to market St Petersburg internationally as a top class destination for meetings, incentives, conferences and events.

The project also envisages the development of the Nevskij Plaza, an elite commercial centre, with two floors of exclusive and upscale retail outlets and five floors of premium office rental space. Both facades will be rebuilt as exact replicas of the imposing original facades, thus recreating the splendour of their historic past.