Loews names Virgin's Whetsell CEO of hotel division; looks to expand

3 Jan, 2012

Loews Corp. has named Paul Whetsell CEO of its hotel unit as the chain prepares to acquire properties, Bloomberg reports. Whetsell most recently was executive director of Richard Branson's Virgin Hotels. He joins Loews Hotels, where he also will hold the title of president, succeeding Jack Adler, who announced his retirement in October. Loews currently operates 18 hotels in North America and is planning to expand further into gateway cities, including Boston, Chicago, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., via acquisitions of existing hotels, Whetsell told Bloomberg. "I think you can still find opportunities to buy, renovate and convert to the Loews brand less expensively than new construction," he said.