HR1224 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1224 LRB093 23667 CSA 53678 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate Thomas J. Mathes on being named general manager of the award-winning Hotel Burnham Chicago; as general manager, he is responsible for all daily operations, personnel, training and business development for the property; and

WHEREAS, Having carved a special niche in the luxury hospitality industry, he brings to the position more than seven years of industry experience; he was promoted to the position of general manager after holding a series of top posts at various Kimpton properties in Chicago; most recently, he served as hotel manager at the 483-room Hotel Allegro, where he was responsible for the supervision of daily operations; he also has experience as hotel manager at the 192-room Hotel Monaco Chicago, and was assistant general manager at the Hotel Burnham; and

WHEREAS, He also held management positions at hotels including the Midland Hotel and Hotel Sofitel in Chicago, and a trainer position at Red Roof Inns in St. Louis; he started his stellar career in the hospitality industry at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis as a front desk agent; he also served as proprietor of Sterling Entertainment in Memphis and St. Louis; and

WHEREAS, Hotel Burnham Chicago, named after famed city planner and architect Daniel Burnham of D.H. Burnham and Co. who originally designed the building, is located in the city's Theatre District; the boutique-style hotel is one of Chicago's most significant architectural landmarks, occupying the historic 109-year-old former Reliance Building; completed in 1895, the Reliance Building was not only a premier product of "the Chicago style" architecture, it was the first direct predecessor to the modern skyscrapers that are such a large part of Chicago today; the 14 floors of the Reliance Building seem to defy gravity due to its interior iron and steel frame construction and delicate glass and terra cotta facade; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Thomas J. Mathes on being named general manager of the Hotel Burnham Chicago and we wish him success in the future; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Thomas J. Mathes as an expression of our esteem.