Minneapolis, Minnesota, May 20, 2013 … CSM Lodging, a division of CSM Corporation, has named Michael C. Coolidge senior vice president, real estate & lodging development for the growing hospitality company.   Bill Upshaw, president of CSM Lodging, made the announcement.
 
“It is a pleasure to welcome Michael to our company,” said Mr. Upshaw.  “He brings extensive experience, skill sets, and business relationships to this new role that will prove invaluable as we grow our portfolio of owned and operated hotels.”
 
Michael Coolidge was most recently senior vice president-real estate & acquisitions for Watermark Capital Partners, a private equity investment firm based in Chicago, and co-advisor of Carey Watermark Investors, Incorporated (CWI), a $1 billion publicly-registered REIT.  In Michael’s role at CWI, he was responsible for handling all real estate acquisitions and development activity as well as supervising the asset management activities related to CWI’s properties.
 
Previous to this, Mr. Coolidge served as vice president of real estate for Hyatt Hotels Corporation, responsible for handling all full-service real estate acquisitions in the western United States and Canada.  He has held similar positions for Sage Hospitality, and was directly involved in all of the company’s Urban Heritage Development projects, overseeing and implementing $1 billion in real estate development.
 
Mr. Coolidge is a graduate of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and Paul Smith’s College.  He serves as a member of the Dean’s Young Alumni Advisory Council for the Cornell School of Hotel Administration.

About CSM Lodging  
CSM Lodging, a division of CSM Corporation, acquires, develops and manages quality hospitality real estate investments within select markets across the United States. The company is known for their business ethos of treating their customers and associates with integrity and respect, and for their commitment to the future of the communities in which they live and work.
 
In 1994, CSM purchased its first hotel in St. Paul, Minnesota. By the end of 2002, CSM had opened 29 hotels and developed a presence in Minneapolis, Portland, Denver, Boston, Detroit, Seattle and Naples. Today, CSM Lodging manages 38 hotels nationwide and continues to achieve awards in design, openings, quality, sales excellence, marketing and revenue management.
 
CSM Lodging is part of the CSM Corporation family of companies, founded in 1976, which has engaged in the acquisition, development, leasing, management and ownership of quality real estate assets. The extensive portfolio includes retail, office & industrial, multi-family residential, and hotel properties across the United States.