Valencia Group Hires John Keeling as EVP

Noted Hospitality Industry Authority And Veteran Hotel Expert

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. April 18, 2009

APRIL 17, 2009 - Valencia Group, which is currently expanding its portfolio of award-winning hotels, has hired former PKF Consulting Senior Vice President John Keeling to serve as the company's Executive Vice President. Keeling, a noted lecturer, teacher, author and authority on hotel matters who is frequently sourced by respected industry trades, business journals and newspapers, brings 35 years of experience in hotel brokerage, appraisal and consulting to his new role.

Doyle A. Graham, Jr., President and CEO of Valencia Group, was quoted saying, "Valencia Group has built a solid reputation for our premium, Valencia-branded hotels, and soon at CITYCENTRE in Houston, our new Hotel Sorella upscale product. The addition of John Keeling to our team will enable us to further grow the services and expertise we offer to third-party owners and operators, especially in the categories of management, branding, development, repositioning and financing. John's experience and insight also puts us in an enviable position as we identify new partners and trophy sites for future Hotel Valencia and Hotel Sorella properties."

Prior to his nearly 20-year affiliation with Houston-based PKF Consulting, Keeling served as the regional managing partner of Laventhol & Horwath, a Philadelphia-based CPA and business consulting firm. From 1982 until 1990, he oversaw the consulting practice's Southwest region, which included offices in Houston, Dallas, St. Louis and Denver and a scope of work ranging from financial structuring of complex real estate projects to owner assistance in the negotiation of hotel management contracts. He joined the company in 1976 as a real estate consultant. In this capacity, he directed the hotel consulting practice of the Houston office and initiated the monthly Trend of Business in the Lodging Industry report for Houston, San Antonio, New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.

Keeling formally began his hospitality career with Marriott International at the Marriott Twin Bridges Hotel, Arlington, VA and after several expedited promotions and moves, left the company as a manager at the Marriott in Dallas. His first taste of the industry, however, began as a student at UCLA, where he was a residence hall general manager and coordinated the remodeling of the serving and dining facilities. After graduating cum laude with a BA in History, he earned an MBA in Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management from Michigan State University. In 2008, he was named an honorary alumnus of the University of Houston's Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel & Restaurant Management and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hotel & Lodging Association of Greater Houston.

Keeling's numerous professional and social memberships include the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, The Counselors of Real Estate, The Appraisal Institute, The Urban Land Institute and the Downtown Houston YMCA (former Chairman, Board of Management).