BROOMFIELD, Colo., Sept 11, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN) today announced that Paul G. Toner has been promoted to Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of RockResorts and Vail Resorts Hospitality. Toner will oversee and direct the Company's lodging and hospitality division which currently encompasses approximately 3,800 owned and managed hotel and condominium rooms, including the RockResorts collection of casually elegant resort hotels and spas, six independently flagged and Company-owned hotels, Grand Teton Lodge Company in Grand Teton National Park, Colorado Mountain Express transportation company and six Company-owned resort golf courses. Toner's new position is effective immediately and he will report directly to Vail Resorts Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Rob Katz in the Company's corporate headquarters in Broomfield, Colo.
"Paul brings extensive hospitality experience from both national and international arenas and an intimate knowledge of our lodging and resort assets having spent the past 18 months overseeing all sales and marketing efforts for our Company's hospitality division. Paul has a deep understanding of how to drive both guest service and profitability in the hospitality business, from which our Company has already had the good fortune to benefit. Paul has demonstrated leadership on key initiatives within our hospitality division, particularly in helping to drive revenue during the very challenging environment over the past year. I am confident that his experience with all aspects of our lodging operations will help continue to drive performance and growth for the hospitality division of our Company," said Rob Katz, chairman and chief executive officer of Vail Resorts.
Toner has 25 years of hospitality experience with luxury resort hotels in the U.S. and Asia. Since 2008, he has been vice president of sales and marketing for RockResorts and Vail Resorts Hospitality. Prior to joining the Company, Toner was vice president of sales and marketing from 2005-2008 for the Marriott Hong Kong Regional Office, where he was responsible for driving revenue for the company's more than 100 hotels and resorts. He was area director of marketing for the Marriott's Pacific Islands Regional Office in Honolulu, Hawaii from 2002-2005 and among his many responsibilities, he helped to facilitate the development of new properties, increase guest satisfaction across all properties and improve financial performance. From 1985-2002, Toner held various sales and marketing positions within the Marriott Company, including sales manager for the Key Bridge Marriott in Arlington, Va.; director of sales for the Boston Long Wharf Marriott in Boston, Mass.; director of sales for the Maui Marriott in Hawaii; director of association sales for the Orlando World Center Marriott in Florida; and area director of marketing for the Kauai Marriott Resort and Beach Club in Hawaii. He also spent two years, from 1992-1994, serving as director of sales and marketing first for the Hyatt Regency Kauai and then the Hyatt Regency Maui in the Hawaiian Islands.
Toner earned a bachelor's of science degree from Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, Penn. He is an outdoor enthusiast who enjoys skiing, cycling, hiking and competing in triathlons, as well as traveling the globe. He has a wife, Mara, and three daughters.
About RockResorts
RockResorts, a wholly owned subsidiary of Vail Resorts, owns and operates luxury resort hotels that offer casually elegant accommodations, lavish RockResorts Spas, renowned golf courses, award-winning dining and a variety of exciting outdoor adventures. The RockResorts collection includes The Arrabelle at Vail Square and The Lodge at Vail in Vail, Colo.; Hotel Jerome in Aspen, Colo.; The Osprey at Beaver Creek and The Pines Lodge in Beaver Creek, Colo.; La Posada de Santa Fe Resort & Spa in Santa Fe, N.M.; Snake River Lodge & Spa in Jackson Hole, Wyo.; and The Landings St. Lucia, Rodney Bay, St. Lucia. Future RockResorts include: Tempo Miami in Miami, Fla. (scheduled to open in 2010); Balcones Del Atlantico, Dominican Republic (scheduled to open in 2010); One Ski Hill Place in Breckenridge, Colo. (scheduled to open in 2010); The Mansfield Inn at Stowe in Stowe, Vt. (scheduled to open in winter 2011/2012); Rum Cay Resort Marina, The Bahamas (scheduled to open in 2012); and the Third Turtle Club & Spa, Turks and Caicos (scheduled to open in 2013).
About Vail Resorts
Vail Resorts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the leading mountain resort operator in the United States. The Company's subsidiaries operate the mountain resort properties of Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone mountain resorts in Colorado, the Heavenly Ski Resort in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada, and the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyo. The Company's subsidiary, RockResorts, a luxury resort hotel company, manages casually elegant properties across the United States and the Caribbean. Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning, development and construction subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN). The Vail Resorts company website is www.vailresorts.com and consumer website is www.snow.com.