AH&LA Recognizes Jim Durbin as a 2009 Outstanding General Manager of the Year

GM of the San Diego Marriott Gaslamp Quarter

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. August 13, 2009

SAN DIEGO, CA, August 12, 2009 - Jim Durbin, General Manager of the San Diego Marriott Gaslamp Quarter, was honored with the 2009 Outstanding General Manager of the Year, Large Property at the Stars of the Industry Award by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA). Jim Durbin received the award during the annual Stars of the Industry luncheon on June 24 during the AH&LA Summer Summit in Chicago, Illinois.

The Outstanding General Manager of the Year award honors an hotelier who has demonstrated superior professionalism in operating a AH&LA member property and taken a leadership role in the industry by actively participating in association, community or industry programs. This annual award is one of four categories recognizing outstanding hospitality professionals throughout the country. Stars of the Industry awards also honor stand-out hotel property programs in six categories.

"The hotel currently performs in the top five percent of all Marriott Hotels (346 properties nationwide) in overall guest satisfaction. Durbin has one-on-one interactions with every single hotel employee and has cultivated a unique work environment, which is why Durbin deserves this award," said AH&LA President/CEO Joseph A. McInerney, CHA. "Designating this award gives us an opportunity to recognize and say thank you to an employee who truly embodies the spirit of hospitality."

With more than 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Durbin has served as General Manager of the San Diego Marriott Gaslamp Quarter since 2004, after he was retained by Stanford Hotels to lead the successful opening of the property following a yearlong $60 million renovation. Under his leadership, the San Diego Marriott Gaslamp Quarter is now one of the region's premier hotels.

Durbin was recently named Hotel Person of the Year by the San Diego Hotel Association and the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International. He has also received the Marriott International Leadership Excellence Award in 2007 and 2008, Gallup Organization's 2007 Gallup Great Workplace Award for Excellence in Managing and the 1988 San Diego "Hotel Man of the Year."

Under Durbin's guidance, the hotel has received numerous awards, including the highest REVPAR (revenue per available room) in its competitive set, the 2006 Western Region High Performance Award and 2007 Western Region Revenue Team of the Year from Marriot International, Favorite Gaslamp Hotel by the San Diego Union-Tribune, 2008 Best of San Diego Award in the Hotels category by the U.S. Local Business Association and a Medallion Award for the Best Place to Work in San Diego by the San Diego Society for Human Resources. In addition, the hotel bar, ALTITUDE Sky Lounge was named one of the "25 Best Bars in the World" by Conde Nast Traveler and "Best Open Bar in the West" by Sunset Magazine.

Durbin is currently the vice president of the San Diego Hotel Motel Association and on the executive committee of San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau. He has served as a founding director of the San Diego Convention Center, executive committee member of the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau, president of the San Diego Hotel Motel Association and a member of the Governor's Council on Tourism under former Governor Pete Wilson.