WHITE PLAINS, NY, February 15, 2011…John Fitzpatrick, CEO North America of the Fitzpatrick Hotel Group, has been appointed chairman of the Board of Directors for the 2011 International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show^® (IHMRS). With more than 20 years of industry experience spanning the globe, Fitzpatrick will lead efforts for the 96^th annual IHMRS, taking place November 12-15, 2011, at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. 

            Fitzpatrick began his impressive career in Ireland, where the Fitzpatrick name is synonymous with hospitality. He led his family hotel group to great heights by achieving notable recognition in the United States over the past 15 years. He began his formal training with a 4-year hotel management course at the Fitzpatrick Hotels in Ireland, followed by the prestigious hotel management course at UNLV in Las Vegas. Honing his experience with two major hotel associations in Chicago first, he then returned to Ireland to work at the family hotels in Dublin and Bunratty.  

As CEO of the Fitzpatrick Hotel Group, Fitzpatrick works with his team to provide guests the utmost in Irish hospitality with an American accent and modern amenities. Devoted to the industry, he serves as Chairman of the Hotel Association of NYC, which is comprised of over 245 member hotels with more than 65,000 hotel rooms within the five boroughs of New York City.  He also is on the boards of both the American Ireland Fund and the Ireland-US Council.  Fitzpatrick has received numerous honors for his business savvy and charitable work, from Crain’s New York Business “Top Forty Entrepreneurs Under Forty” to the Irish Voice’s Person of the Year Award. In 2002, he received the prestigious Ellis Island Medal of Honor, whose previous recipients include George Bush, Bill Clinton, Rudy Guiliani, several Nobel Laureates, and other distinguished leaders. In 2008, John was recognized for his contributions to the peace process in Northern Ireland by being invested with an honorary OBE by Her Majesty the Queen. In 2010 Irish America magazine recognized him with its most prestigious award, “Irish American of the Year” as well as including him on it’s “Business 100”.

Also serving on the 2011 IHMRS Board of Directors are Joseph Spinnato, president, Hotel Association of New York City; Jan Chesterton, president, New York State Hospitality & Tourism Association; Joe McInerney, president and CEO, American Hotel & Lodging Association; Vijay Dandapani, president, Apple Core Hotels; Michael Hoffman, president, Turf Hotels; Pedro Mandoki, president, Mandoki Hospitality Group; Tony Mangano, vice president, Syramada Hotel Corporation; and John Russell, CEO, Advaya Hospitality.

The 96^th annual International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show will run Saturday, November 12, through Tuesday, November 15, 2011, at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. Following a full-day of conference and networking activities on Saturday, November 12, the IHMRS will feature three full days of exhibits from Sunday, November 13, through Tuesday, November 15. The market presents some 700 hospitality industry suppliers and attracts 30,000 in total trade attendance. IHMRS is co-located with Boutique Design New York (BDNY), featuring more than 200 interior product manufacturers of high-end, unique and innovative design products for hospitality.

            The International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show is sponsored by the American Hotel & Lodging Association, the Hotel Association of New York City, Inc., and the New York State Hospitality & Tourism Association; and is managed by GLM.

            For IHMRS exhibitor information, contact Lynn White, show manager, at GLM, 1133 Westchester Avenue, White Plains, NY 10604-3547. Telephone (914) 421-3249. Fax (914) 948-6197. E-mail lynn_white@glmshows.com. For attendee information, contact GLM Customer Relations at (914) 421-3237, or by email, at customer_relations@glmshows.com.   Additional information and registration is available online, at www.ihmrs.com.