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Mr. Bennett has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Ashford Hospitality Trust since May 2003. He launched the Initial Public Offering of the Company in 2003 with a total of six hotels and $125 million in assets. He has led the growth of Ashford to $4.5 billion in assets, resulting in a compounded annual growth rate of 245% during that four-year timeframe. Since the IPO, Mr. Bennett has led the raising of $1.0 billion in equity capital, securing $3.7 billion in debt financing and over $500 million of preferred equity. In April 2007, Mr. Bennett and his team completed the $2.4 billion acquisition of a 51-hotel portfolio from CNL, one of the largest lodging acquisitions in history.
Prior to founding Ashford Hospitality Trust, Mr. Bennett served in several key positions at the Company's predecessor from 1992 to 1997, such as Executive Vice President, Director of Information Systems, General Manager, and Operations Director. In 1997, Mr. Bennett was named President of the Company's predecessor and subsequently added the title of Chief Executive Officer - positions he still retains.
Mr. Bennett is a member of the Hilton Hotel Corporation�s Embassy Suites Franchise Advisory Council, Marriott International�s Owner Advisory Council, the Urban Land Institute�s Hotel Development Council, The Real Estate Roundtable, and the American Hotel & Lodging Association�s Industry Real Estate Finance Advisory Council (IREFAC). He formerly served on the board of the Christian Union, a ministry to Ivy League students. Mr. Bennett holds a Masters degree in Business Administration from Cornell�s Graduate School of Management and received a Bachelor of Science degree with distinction from the School of Hotel Administration also at Cornell. | 