Sacramento, CA - November 16, 2005 – The California Lodging Industry Association (CLIA) 2006 Board of Directors is set to begin work in January after being elected at the recent California Lodging Expo® and Conference at The Westin Santa Clara. Current CLIA Board Chair, Terry Westrope, passes the gavel in a symbolic gesture to the 2006 incoming chair, Don Turner, owner of the Golden Bear Inn Berkeley and Jorad & Company, Napa.

Joining Turner on the 2006 Executive Committee of the CLIA Board are: Vice Chair— John J. Reinacher, Managing Director, Historic Santa Maria Inn and Radisson Santa Maria Hotel; Chief Financial Officer—Nipool Patel, Owner/Operator, EconoLodge, San Luis Obispo; Secretary––Laurenne Douglas, Regional Manager, Pacific Plaza Hotels, Alameda; and Immediate Past Chair—Terry Westrope, Vice President, Sterling Hotels Corporation, San Luis Obispo. Rick Lawrance, serves as CLIA President and CEO at the headquarters office in Sacramento.

Newly elected directors on the 18-member CLIA Board include: Howard Mathews, National Hotel & Motel Brokers;  Pravin "Peter" Patel, Owner/Operator, Holiday Inn Express & Suites Oakland Airport; Bimal Patel, Owner/Operator, Best Value Inn & Suites, Silicon Valley; and Jill Macdonald, Owner/Operator, Quality Inn Eureka and other lodging properties.

Returning directors are: Eric Cogdill, Best Western Garden Court Inn, Fresno; Jane Geweke Willett, Holiday Inn Express, Elk Grove, and owner/partner of GREM Inc;  Roy Yared, Owner/Operator, Comfort Inns, Fairfield and Napa; Randall King, GM, Hilton San Francisco Financial District; John Manderfeld, Marin Management, Sausalito; J. P. Patel, Best Western Colony Inn, Astascadero; Narendra "Naz" Patel, EconoLodge, LAX, and Rick Tipton, Tipton Management Company.

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