Contact: Sue Lowry / Melanie Childs 

Magellan Public Relations 

Tel: 020 8875 2850 

Anna Mueller-Stutzer 

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C.

 Tel: 020 7591 1187

 

Simon Cooper, President and Chief Operating Officer

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C.

 

Simon Cooper, a 30-year veteran hotelier, is President and Chief Operating Officer of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C.   Formerly President of Marriott Lodging Canada, and for 10 years, President and Chief Operating Officer of the Canadian Quality Award-winning Delta Hotels & Resorts, he assumed his position at Ritz-Carlton, the luxury hospitality subsidiary of Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE:MAR), on February 19, 2001. 

Since joining Marriott International in 1998, Cooper has overseen all of the company’s existing hotel brands in Canada, with the New England region being added to his responsibilities in 2000.  He has been instrumental in fulfilling the company’s goal of rapid Canadian hotel development; in the past three years, Marriott International-branded hotels have increased from seven to more than 30.  In his Marriott role in Canada, Cooper was committed to promoting Canadian tourism. He was one of the main forces behind the creation of the Canadian Tourism Commission, where he has served on the board and as Chairman of the Commission’s committee on infrastructure development. 

Earlier in his career, Cooper was Executive Vice President of Omni Hotels (USA) and was Managing Director of Dan Hotels, Israel’s largest luxury hotel chain. In addition, he also served as senior vice president of operations for Delta Hotels & Resorts, beginning his career with Canadian Pacific Hotels & Resorts. 

Cooper is Chairman of the Board of Governors for the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, and is a senior member of The Conference Board (USA) and a member of the Conference Board of Canada’s National Council of Leadership.  Born and educated in Britain, Cooper received an MBA from the University of Toronto. 

# # # 

Note for editors – The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C., manages 43 award-winning hotels in Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, the Middle East and North America.  For information or reservations, please contact The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company on 0800 234 000 toll free in the UK or visit The Ritz-Carlton Web site at www.ritzcarlton.com.  Photography available on request.