CH&LA Elects 2006 Chair -- Wes Tyler, General Manager of Chancellor Hotel on Union Square; California's Premier Lodging Association Announces 2006 Officers And Board Of Directors At Annual Meeting.

LOS ANGELES -- The California Hotel & Lodging Association (CH&LA) elected Wes Tyler, General Manager of the Chancellor Hotel on Union Square, as the incoming 2006 Chairperson of the Board of Directors at its annual meeting this afternoon in Los Angeles. In addition, the other officers who were elected for 2006 are Luis Barrios, Best Western Hacienda Hotel (Immediate Past Chairperson), Tony Bruno, Disneyland Resort (Vice Chair), and Peggy Mosley, Groveland Hotel (Secretary/Treasurer). Completing the Executive Committee for 2006 are Don Johnson, Vagabond Franchise System (AH&LA Director) and Jack Campbell, Campbell Lodging Properties (Audit Committee Chair), along with Jim Abrams, President & CEO of CH&LA.

As the incoming Chairperson, Tyler stated his focus for the upcoming year is going to be on participation, particularly in the California Lodging Industry Legislative Awareness Summit and the Las Vegas Int'l Hotel & Restaurant Show. "Participation of our industry in these two events is vital to the industry. Legislatively, presenting a united voice in Sacramento to protect our rights and interests is key to the growth of our industry," commented Tyler in his remarks at the annual meeting.

Also at the annual meeting, Caroline Beteta, Executive Director of the California Travel & Tourism Commission, outlined California's marketing and promotional efforts for the upcoming year and specifically thanked the leadership and members of the California Hotel & Lodging Association for their support and instrumental efforts in helping to reinstate tourism funding in 2006.

Bruce Baltin, Senior Vice President of PKF Consulting, then presented an overview of the California lodging industry for 2006. Baltin forecast overall growth for the state lodging industry to range from 5.8% in Orange County to 4.2% in the Palm Springs area, with the entire industry solidly in expansion.

"2006 will be a very exciting time in the lodging industry," said Jim Abrams, CH&LA's President & CEO. "With CH&LA's leadership for this coming year, and an excellent promotional effort by CTTC to support the entire hospitality industry, we are a looking forward to an exciting and successful year."

The California Hotel & Lodging Association (CH&LA) is the largest state lodging industry trade association in the country. Its 1,600 members, which comprise approximately 175,000 guest rooms, include hotels, motels, bed and breakfast inns, guest ranches, resorts, spas, condominium rentals, timeshares, and vacation home rentals located throughout California. CH&LA's mission is to be the indispensable resource for communicating and protecting the rights and interests of the California lodging industry, for providing educational training and value programs for all segments of the industry, and for supporting strategic alliances to promote the value of California tourism and travel. Sacramento-based CH&LA has been representing California's lodging industry for more than a century. CH&LA is on the web at www.calodging.com.