VANCOUVER, WA Red Lion Hotels & Inns, a subsidiary of Hilton Hotels Corp., named Marie Malloy and Arthur Sabo as directors of franchise development, effective immediately. They join fellow newly appointed Director of Development, Alex Chopra, who joined the company this past September. All three report to Manfred Gerling, vp/development for Red Lion.
In her new position, Malloy is responsible for the brand s franchise development in Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. She previously held the position of director of sales and marketing for the Red Lion Hotel Houston.
Sabo will oversea the brand s development in Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and North and South Dakota. He returns to Red Lion, where he previously served as the director of sales and marketing for Red Lion Jantzen Beach from 1988 to 1991. Most recently, he was the director of sales and marketing for Doubletree hotels in Portland Downtown.
Chopra will continue to develop the Red Lion franchise in California, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah. Prior to joining the company, he oversaw franchise opportunities for Baymont Inn and Suites.
“I used to do it all by myself,” said Gerling. “But it was too much for one person.”
Gerling noted that when he joined Red Lion, approximately 18 months ago, the brand had 17 hotels. Now it has 42 properties, and by the end of this year, Red Lion s portfolio should total about 70 hotels.“Out goal is to grow the brand to 250 hotels nationwide within the next five years,” he said. He added that the company is also working to expand its presence to the East Coast, where it is not currently represented.
In addition, Red Lion will appoint a new East Coast director of franchise development within the next year, and it is currently working to secure its first international hotel in Western Canada, which Gerling is overseeing. (4/20/01) Diana M. Rodriguez