Chartres Lodging and Kokua Hospitality Donate Nearly $15,000 to Aid Japan Disaster Victims

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. June 14, 2011

CHICAGO - June 10, 2011 - Tomorrow marks three months since the triple disaster struck Japan, with an 8.9 magnitude earthquake followed by a deadly tsunami and nuclear power plant failings. Numerous fundraising efforts were announced when the events occurred, and individuals and corporations from around the world generously donated their support while watching the unimaginable unfold through the media. Robert D. Kline and Maki Nakamura Bara, co-founders of Chartres Lodging Group, LLC and Kokua Hospitality, LLC led one of those efforts through their employees and non-profit organization, No Reservations Giving.

“Since the incredible destruction in Japan on March 11th, we've witnessed massive flooding in the Deep South, and horrific tornadoes that have ripped away property and destroyed lives. Attention is naturally pulled to the new needs of people reeling from crisis, but today we're remembering those still suffering in Japan,” said Kline, co-founder and president of Chartres Lodging Group, a firm currently responsible for a $5-billion, 15,600-room portfolio of luxury and upscale hotels, conference centers and resorts located throughout the United States and Japan.

This week, Karen Wiley, corporate director of sales and marketing for Kokua Hospitality, presented nearly $15,000 for the Japan Relief campaign to Francesca Edwardson, CEO of the American Red Cross, Greater Chicago region. The American Red Cross states that $.91 of every dollar goes directly to the victims.

“We appreciate every dollar donated for disaster relief,” said Edwardson. “Since March, our organization has helped people in half of the states of the U.S.A. that have been affected by severe weather disasters and everyday across our nation we help people affected by the most common disaster; home fires. In the Chicagoland area we help people affected by these disasters 3-4 times a day, every single day. It's so wonderful to see people helping disaster victims in our own backyards and as far away as Japan,” she added.

Corporate employees of Chartres Lodging and Kokua Hospitality, along with five hotels either owned or managed with Kokua, participated in the Japan Relief fundraising program. The hotel properties included DoubleTree by Hilton Chicago-Magnificent Mile and its restaurant, Markethouse (300 E. Ohio); the Inn of Chicago (162 E. Ohio); and the Allerton Hotel Chicago (701 N. Michigan Ave.); the Aloft Washington National Harbor Hotel in National Harbor, MD (156 Waterfront St.), and the Ocean Resort Waikiki (175 Paoakalani Ave.) in Honolulu, HI.

“Kokua is a Hawaiian word that translates as extending loving, sacrificial help to others for their benefit, not for personal gain,” said Phil Tufano, a partner and executive vice president of operations for Kokua Hospitality. “We want to continue illustrating our company's core values of kindness and outreach through fundraising efforts that positively impact communities in need,” he added.

For more information, visit www.chartreslodging.com.

About The Chartres Lodging Group, LLC
The Chartres Lodging Group, LLC, is an investment and advisory firm focused on the investment, asset management and renovation of high-quality lodging assets. Chartres Lodging Group's principals have been responsible for more than $8 billion of lodging investments and have asset-managed more than 100 upscale and luxury hotels, resorts and conference centers. The firm is currently responsible for a $5-billion, 15,600-room portfolio of luxury and upscale hotels, conference centers and resorts located throughout the United States and Japan. Chartres' principals and employees are direct investors in 65 percent of this portfolio. Chartres Lodging is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Tokyo. For more information on The Chartres Lodging Group, please visit http://www.chartreslodging.com/.

About Kokua Hospitality, LLC
Kokua Hospitality, LLC, is a hotel management firm founded by its parent, The Chartres Lodging Group, LLC, with the mandate to become the operator of choice for strategic institutional and select private lodging investors by producing superior results as turnaround specialists. Created by veteran lodging investment and management experts to appeal to an investor's sensibility, Kokua Hospitality blends best-in-class operating practices with an owner's DNA. The name (pronounced “ko-kooh-ah”) is Hawaiian for “to serve.” Kokua Hospitality manages a growing portfolio of hotels and resorts nationwide. For more information on Kokua Hospitality, please visit http://www.kokuahospitality.com/ and follow us on Twitter @kokuahotels and http://kokuahospitality.wordpress.com/.

About the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. The American Red Cross of Greater Chicago leads a regional grouping in Illinois and Northwest Indiana that serves more than 9.6 million people. For more information, please visit www.chicagoredcross.org.