Langham Hospitality Group announced the appointment of Robert A Warman as the Chief Executive Officer, he succeeds Brett Butcher, who is retiring from the company.

 "We are delighted to have Bob lead the Langham Hospitality Group portfolio," said Dr. K.S. Lo, executive chairman of Langham Hospitality Group. "Bob is a seasoned hotelier with significant experience in the global luxury hospitality industry, and he is ideally qualified to lead the company and drive innovation in these next stages of its growth and expansion."

Warman (below right), who holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from DePaul University in Chicago, has more than 33 years of experience in the hospitality industry.

Most recently, he served as president and chief operating officer of Capella Hotel Group, as well as co-chairman of the Capella Asia board, providing strategic guidance in the operations and property acquisition activities.

Under his leadership and with 24 hotels in operation or under development in North America, Europe, China, Southeast Asia and the Middle East, Warman spearheaded all hotel owner relations for Capella Hotel Group, successfully solicited new management contracts, and established the quality improvement process for both customers and employees since he joined the company in 2001.

Prior to that, Warman had served for 18 years in various operational and executive roles at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. At its formation, he joined the luxury hotel group as a rooms executive and rose up the ranks to the general manager positions at The Ritz-Carlton hotels in Buckhead, Atlanta; Cleveland, Ohio; and Pentagon City in Virginia. He was promoted to oversee rooms operations on the corporate level as vice president, and he later worked in conjunction with the chairman of the board in soliciting prospective buyers for The Ritz-Carlton, resulting in the sale to Marriott International Inc. in 1995.

As the executive vice president of operations, Warman coordinated and executed all new hotel openings, brought more consistency to the operating departments, and participated in the company's second successful application for the Malcolm Baldrige Award.

 "Langham has a fine reputation of owning and operating high quality hotels and delivering positive guest experiences," said Warman. "The group has a stable of respected brands, each of which is ripe for expansion into new markets. I look forward to working with the team to further develop and grow the company worldwide while delivering superior guest satisfaction and financial operating results."