Gateway Hospitality Chairman Wins Kocher Award

For Immediate Release, June 2007


Gateway Hospitality Chairman Wins Kocher Award

Sam Agee, Chairman of Gateway Hospitality was presented with the Harriet Kocher award at Choice Hotels International 53rd annual convention last month in Orlando, Florida.

The Harriet Kocher award has been awarded for the past 20 years to either a Choice Hotels International employee or a member of the Choice Hotels Owners Council who has demonstrated an outstanding contribution to the Choice system, the community, and the overall hotel industry. The person chosen for the honor upholds the same high standards of excellence that Harriet Kocher did in her service to the Choice system.

Sam Agee, Chairman of Gateway Hospitality states, “It gives me a great deal of pride to be chosen for such a prestigious award. Harriet Kocher’s dedication to the hotel industry was and still is extraordinary. To be on the list with the outstanding leaders of this industry is an honor.”

"Sam Agee is an excellent representative of Choice Hotels and its brands, he truly works for the benefit of the entire Choice franchise community,” said Charles A. Ledsinger, Jr., vice chairman and chief executive officer of Choice Hotels International. “It is an honor to work with Sam. He is truly a great asset to CHOC and to Choice."

Gateway Hospitality began managing hotels in 1995. Since, Gateway has had a successful involvement in over 20 hotels. The current portfolio includes 7 hotels in South Carolina, 2 hotels in North Carolina, and 4 hotels in development. Gateway Hospitality has immediate plans for the development and acquisition of 10 more hotels within the next 3 years.