American Express Company has announced that Thomas J. Baltimore, Jr., Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Park Hotels & Resorts Inc., has been elected to its Board of Directors.
“Tom is a highly-respected leader in the hospitality industry, with over 30 years of experience, including more than two decades in senior executive roles navigating global organizations through significant changes in travel and lodging,” said Stephen J. Squeri, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “He also brings extensive capital markets knowledge, and I know our Board will benefit greatly from his insights as we continue to execute our strategy and make investments to structure the company for long term growth.”
Mr. Baltimore has led Park Hotels & Resorts since 2016, when he joined the company shortly before its spin-off from Hilton Worldwide Inc. In 2017, he was elected Chairman of the Board. Today, Park Hotels & Resorts is the second largest publicly traded lodging Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) in the United States, with a portfolio spanning 60 hotels and resorts and over 33,000 rooms. During his tenure, Mr. Baltimore has overseen Park Hotels & Resorts’ expansion into new markets, including with the acquisition of Chesapeake Lodging Trust in 2019, and has been leading the company’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prior to joining Park Hotels & Resorts, Mr. Baltimore was President and Chief Executive Officer of RLJ Lodging Trust, one of the largest publicly traded lodging REITs in the country, from 2011 to 2016. He also served as a Director on the company’s Board. Previously, Mr. Baltimore was President of hospitality investment firm RLJ Development LLC, the predecessor to RLJ Lodging Trust that Mr. Baltimore co-founded in 2000. Earlier in his career, Mr. Baltimore served in a variety of roles at Hilton Hotels Corp., Marriott International Inc., and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.
In addition to Park Hotels & Resorts’ Board, Mr. Baltimore also serves on the Board of Prudential Financial Inc., and sits on the Executive Board of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, the Boards of the University of Virginia Investment Management Company and The Real Estate Roundtable, and the Executive Committee of the American Hotel & Lodging Association.
Mr. Baltimore received his Bachelor of Science degree from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia and Master of Business Administration degree from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia.
