Scott Blalock Appointed General Manager of JW Marriott Austin

AUSTIN, Texas, July 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- JW Marriott Austin is pleased to announce the appointment of Scott Blalock as general manager of the new hotel slated to open in March 2015.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120210/DE51498LOGO)

A 25-year hospitality industry veteran, Blalock brings extensive operational, sales and administrative experience to the JW Marriott Austin. He has worked for the hotel's developer, White Lodging, since 2006 after more than 18 years of service with Marriott International.

Blalock has a strong background in successfully managing convention hotels. He was a member of the opening team of the Marriott San Antonio Rivercenter Convention Hotel, general manager of the Marriott Indianapolis Downtown Convention Hotel, and opened the JW Marriott Indianapolis as vice president and general manager. 

In large part due to Blalock's leadership, the JW Marriott Indianapolis hotel has since been recognized as the JW Marriott Western Region Hotel of the Year for 2012, a 2012 Gold Key Winner and the 2012 Best of Mid-America award-winner by Meetings Focus Magazine.

Blalock is highly respected in the hospitality industry. The success of the JW Marriott Indianapolis earned him the title of GM of the Year for the Americas by Marriott International and the Global GM of the Year for the JW Marriott brand.

"We are fortunate to have Scott, a seasoned leader of JW and Marriott Convention Hotels, become the general manager of the largest JW Marriott in the Americas. His strong relationships with convention meeting planners and his proven track record of successfully opening 1,000-plus-room JW Marriott convention hotels will allow for the JW Marriott Austin to quickly become the top meeting destination in Texas and the Southwest," said Dave Sibley, president and CEO of White Lodging's Hospitality Division.

Construction is well underway on the 34-story JW Marriott Austin, which currently stands five stories above ground and is on schedule to open in March 2015. The hotel is a highly anticipated addition to Austin's hospitality industry and has already booked more than 170,000 room nights.

"I'm excited to come back to Texas and be a part of a hotel project that is a game-changer for Austin," said Blalock. "The JW Marriott Austin will have an enormous economic benefit to the entire local community including the creation of 700 jobs within the next 18 months. This is a great opportunity to put Austin on the map as a destination for large national conventions and meetings and bring JW Marriott's distinctive luxury product to a new city."

Blalock is a native Texan who grew up in Beaumont before moving to Austin in the 1980s. He graduated from Texas State University (formerly Southwest Texas State University) in 1988 with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in marketing.

About JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts

JW Marriott is part of Marriott International's luxury portfolio and consists of beautiful properties in gateway cities and distinctive resort locations around the world. These elegant hotels cater to today's sophisticated, self-assured travelers, offering them the quiet luxury they seek in a warmly authentic, relaxed atmosphere lacking in pretense. JW Marriott properties artfully provide highly crafted, anticipatory experiences that are reflective of their locale so that their guests have the time to focus on what is most important to them. Currently, there are 60 JW Marriott hotels in 24 countries; by 2015 the portfolio is expected to encompass 79 properties in 28 countries. Visit us online, jwmarriott.com, @jwmarriott and facebook.com/JWMarriott

About White Lodging

Established in 1985 and headquartered in Merrillville, Ind. White Lodging is a fully integrated hotel ownership, development and operations company – a recognized leader that has defined and cultivated the ability to achieve consistent, sustainable growth among mid- to large-scale hotels across the country. Its current portfolio consists of more than 168 hotels in 21 states and encompasses representation of the following leading brands: Preferred Hotel Group, Marriott International, Inc., Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt Global and Starwood Hotels and Resorts.

 For more information about White Lodging, please visit www.whitelodging.com.

Media Contact:
Lindsay Ketchum or Lia Pette
Elizabeth Christian & Associates Public Relations
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SOURCE White Lodging