The addition of the Brazil office expands Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels’ existing strategic advisory and asset management team to 80 hotel professionals globally. This move completes Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels’ BRIC strategy, whereby the firm now has dedicated hospitality expertise in Brazil, Russia, India and China.

“This expansion has come just at the right time for our clients. Not only is Brazil’s domestic economy improving, but the country has now received an investment-grade credit rating by S&P and Fitch,” said Arthur Adler, managing director and CEO-Americas, Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels. “Our existing global infrastructure and resources, combined with the Brazil team’s local market dominance, will allow us to advise our global clients as they seek to expand and move capital into South America.”

Previously, Mr. Mader and Ms. Gorni, with some fifty years of combined hotel advisory experience, were partners of Hotel Investment Advisors (HIA), a strategic advisory and asset management consulting group in Sao Paulo. As such, they were the first in Brazil to offer specialized consulting services for the hotel industry, including asset management, operations analysis, market studies for new hotel developments, valuations and strategic planning for hotel companies planning to expand or establish a presence in Brazil, Chile, Argentina and throughout South America. The rest of the team consists of consultants with extensive experience in the hospitality industry, having worked in hotels, large hotel development and consulting companies in Latin America.

This new team joins Jones Lang LaSalle’s existing 600 commercial real estate professionals in Brazil. Established in Brazil in 1996, the firm has offices in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Curitiba.

Complementing Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels’ existing global hotel strategic advisory team, the new Brazil team is prepared to offer complete support in the development, evaluation and supervision of hotel investments.

Mr. Arthur de Haast, global CEO, sees this move as another step towards meeting Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels’ global goals, “This expansion fortifies our ability to achieve our global objective of being first in all markets in which we operate. It secures a robust footprint from which we can grow further in Brazil; supplementing our strong global platform of strategic advisory services for international clients.”

”Our group has always prided itself on its dedication and approach to hotel consulting, aiming to understand and meet our clients' needs and objectives,” said Ricardo Mader Rodrigues, executive vice president for Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels in Brazil.

Ms. Gorni, a senior vice president of Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels in Brazil comments on how the organizations share similar values, “We both prioritize the importance of professional and ethical standards and of providing quality service to clients. This natural fit provides a strong foundation for a business force that will exceed client needs, harness market opportunities and, importantly, provide expanded career opportunities for all staff.”

About Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels
Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels, the first and leading global hotel investment services firm, is uniquely positioned to provide both the depth and breadth of advice required by hotel investors and hotel companies, through a robust and integrated local network. In 2007, Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels provided sale and purchase advice on 259 hotel transactions globally; representing a combined value of US$13.9 billion, a total of 54,763 hotel rooms in 84 cities. In addition advisory and valuation services were provided on 660 assignments globally for 182,048 rooms across more than 300 cities.
The global team comprises over 270 hotel specialists, operating from 31 offices in 18 countries. The firm’s advice is supported by a dedicated global research team, which produced over 45 publications in 2007 in addition to client research. Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels’ services span the hospitality spectrum; from luxury single assets and large portfolios to select service and budget hotels, resorts and pubs. Their services include investment sales, mergers and acquisitions, capital raising, valuation and appraisal, asset management, strategic planning, operator selection, management contract negotiation, consulting, industry research and project development services. Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels’ clients have access to the resources of its parent company, Jones Lang LaSalle (NYSE: JLL). www.joneslanglasallehotels.com