Consumer >> CEO Interviews >> April 6, 2000

Stephen Matlin – Nh Hoteles (nhh.mc)

STEPHEN J. MATLIN is Director of Corporate Development at NH Hoteles, which he joined in 1998. Based in Madrid, Spain, he works closely with the CEO and other members of senior management to define and implement the corporate growth strategy of NH Hoteles, Spain's largest urban hotel operator and the 10th largest in Europe. Since joining NH, he has been involved in a number of transactions including the purchase of the hotel Princesa Sofia in Barcelona, the purchase of a minority stake in Jolly Hotels, Italy's leading urban hotel chain, and NH's $100 million acquisition of the Costa del Sol resort and golf development, Sotogrande. He has also worked extensively on the strategy and structure of NH's expansion into Latin America, including securing its US-based private equity partner, Sam Zell's Equity International Properties. Prior to joining NH, Mr. Matlin founded and managed his own company, which focused on the development and operation of large-format (IMAX) theatres. His prior professional experience includes the fields of investment banking in the corporate finance department of Lehman Brothers, management consulting with KPMG Peat Marwick and time with the World Bank, where he helped supervise that institution's multi-billion loan portfolio in Latin America. A native of Los Angeles, Mr. Matlin holds an Undergraduate degree with Honors from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Profile
TWST: Could we start out with an overview of NH Hoteles, just to set the

stage for our readers?

Mr. Matlin: NH Hoteles is Spain's leading urban hotel chain and the 10th

largest publicly-held