Horwath HTL Opens New York Office

Monday 19th April 2010

Horwath HTL, the world�s largest Hospitality consulting firm, announced today the opening of a new office in New York. The office is the twelfth in the North American operation of Horwath HTL, and joins existing offices in Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Miami, Montreal, Phoenix, San Francisco, Santo Domingo and Toronto.

The office will be headed by Michel Couturier; a seasoned expert who possesses more than 30 years of experience in the leisure, corporate and association travel markets. Michel will oversee destination marketing and management for North American and international destinations, as well as provide support to the international members of the Horwath HTL network.

Michel is Founder and President of Marketing Challenges International, a leading destination marketing company and previously held executive management positions at the French-American Chamber of Commerce, Sofitel Hotels of North America and the French Government Tourism Office in New York. Michel is an active member in American society of Association Executive (ASAE) and The Center for Association Leadership, the Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI), International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), Meeting Professionals International (MPI), Society of Incentive & Travel Executives (SITE) and the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO). Michel is also member of the Reed Travel Exhibitions' Global Advisory Board.

Joel Hiser, CEO of Horwath HTL�s North American operation said �We are delighted to have an office in New York once again and to be working with Michel. New York is such an important market we wanted to take our time and make sure we found someone with the experience, reputation and expertise that the Horwath name demands. Michel will be a tremendous asset to the organization.�

About Horwath HTL

Horwath HTL (Hotels Tourism and Leisure) is one of the world�s pre-eminent consulting specialists in the hotel, tourism and leisure industries, providing unequalled experience and expertise for client projects around the world through a combination of detailed local knowledge and international understanding. Horwath HTL is currently the world's largest consulting organization specialized in hospitality, with 50 offices in 39 countries.

Horwath HTL is a member of Crowe Horwath International, a professional association of accounting and management consulting firms founded in New York in 1915. Crowe Horwath International is currently ranked among the top ten international professional service groups with offices in close to 400 cities in 88 countries.

If you have any questions, please contact James Chappell, Global Marketing Director at jchappell@horwathhtl.com or Michel Couturier on mcoturier@horwathhtl.com.