Northcott Hospitality names Paul Kirwin president and chief operating officer

Veteran Hotel Industry Executive Joins AmericInn Management Team as CEO Angeloni Confirms Intent to Retire in 2010

Published March 19, 2009

Northcott Hospitality International, LLC (NHI), a privately held company with holdings in the lodging and hospitality industries, announced today that it has named Paul Kirwin to the position of president and chief operating officer as of May 20. NHI is the parent company for the Chanhassen, Minnesota-based AmericInn brand of 220 midscale hotels.

Kirwin joins NHI after a 25-year career at the Carlson Companies, where he most recently served as president of its Americas division with 800 hotels operating or in development. He also led Carlson Companies’ expansion in Asia and was with their Country Inn & Suites hotel brand for 13 years, the last five as president, during which the brand grew from 8 to over 400 locations in multiple countries.

“Paul is an experienced hotel industry veteran and a proven entrepreneur,” said NHI CEO Arnold Angeloni. “His knowledge of the hotel business and his work experience from the front desk to the C-suite are exactly what we need to take our company – and particularly our AmericInn hotel brand – to the next level. We’re pleased to welcome him aboard.”

“I’m delighted to be joining one of the best management teams in the business,” Kirwin said. “AmericInn has experienced strong and steady growth over the last five years and has outperformed its peer group by many measurements. AmericInn is well-positioned to continue this trend, working with an active group of franchisees to be successful in this very challenging environment. I’m very much looking forward to being a contributor to this team.”

In conjunction with the announcement of Kirwin’s hire, Angeloni confirmed that he intends to retire from NHI early next year. Angeloni joined the company in 2004.

“We have been fortunate to have been led for the last five years by Arnold,” said John Penn, chairman of the NHI board of governors. “Under his leadership, our company has prospered and outperformed its peer group in many measurements. We have made excellent progress in establishing a leading, unique market position and are well-positioned for continued growth. We are grateful to him for having created a strong foundation on which his successor can build and for a timetable that allows for an orderly transition and a smooth hand-off of responsibilities.”

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About Northcott Hospitality…

Northcott Hospitality International, LLC is a Minnesota-based company with headquarters in the Twin Cities’ suburb of Chanhassen. Privately held, Northcott has more than 30 years of franchised hospitality management experience and maintains a superior reputation for excellent service in the lodging and restaurant industries. Its holdings include the AmericInn chain of more than 220 hotels and Perkins and Houlihan’s restaurants strategically located in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and South.