Houston, TX – Southern California hotel executive Mike Waterman has been named president of the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau (GHCVB).
Waterman is currently based in Los Angeles as Marriot International’s vice president of sales for the Southwest region. He will join the GHCVB on May 11 and replace Greg Ortale, who stepped down last Summer after plans were announced to merge the GHCVB with Houston First Corp.
Waterman will also become executive vice president of Houston First, the agency that operates the Texas city’s convention facilities. His primary duties will be promoting Houston as a tourism and meetings destination. It will be a busy few years in Houston. Along with its robust trade show schedule, Houston will host the Final Four basketball championships in 2016 and the Super Bowl the following year.
“I am very excited to lead the convention and tourism efforts of the fourth-largest city in the nation,” Waterman said. “Houston has a fascinating story to tell and its profile as a destination continues to rise.”
Waterman spent 14 years with Marriott. He currently is responsible for 100 properties in the Southwest region, including the Marriott hotels located in the L.A. Live district that surrounds the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Reach Mike Waterman at (800) 446-8786 or mwaterman@visithouston.com; Houston First CEO Dawn Ullrich at (713) 853-8000 or dawn.ullrich@houstonfirst.com
