Embassy Suites Hotels® Launches BusinessBalance.com: Helping Business Travelers Find Their Own Balance on the Road

Business Wire, Jan 22, 2008

New Online Resource Offers Road Warriors a 'Balanced' Perspective

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Today, Embassy Suites Hotels, with 187 upscale, all-suite hotels in the U.S., Canada and Latin America, announces the launch of Business Balance[TM] (businessbalance.com), a new initiative designed specifically to help business travelers stay on their "A Game" while traveling. Accredited sources on nutrition, exercise and sleep will offer business travelers guidance and tips to help maintain balance on the road. The site will be moderated by a "virtual editor," a respected travel expert who will offer commentary on current business travel trends. BusinessBalance.com launches in January of 2008.

"This year, Embassy Suites wants to offer guests the 'anti-new year's resolution,'" said John Lee, vice president, brand marketing and communications, Embassy Suites Hotels. "There are lots of web sites that tell you what to do in order to be successful. We want guests to know that, while they may not be able to stick to their standard regimen while traveling on business, they can achieve the balance that works for them. Embassy Suites will provide business travelers with the tools they need to build confidence, strength and relaxation to help achieve peak business performance."

The BusinessBalance.com site is designed to give visitors an overall sense of ease - just what every business traveler needs to stay balanced and organized. It will be divided into two paths: "Strength on the Road" and "Serenity on the Road." "Strength on the Road" will feature articles and tips on keeping a strong body, a strong mind, getting the proper nutrition, looking your best and maintaining family ties while on the road. "Serenity on the Road" will offer tips for business travelers to get better sleep, reduce stress on the road and pack efficiently.

Gary Chisholm, business travel expert for About.com will serve as the "Virtual Editor" of BusinessBalance.com with his wife, Charlyn Chisholm, hotel expert for About.com. "I've studied the business travel industry for quite some time now and have seen trends come and go," said Gary Chisholm. "What I know is that in today's 24/7, 'gotta-have-it this-minute' environment, business travelers are thrown so much information so quickly that it's easy to become overwhelmed and unbalanced. What business travelers need is to feel grounded and balanced in order to be productive."

The Web site will feature unique articles, Q&As and tip sheets from the virtual editors as well as experts on style, nutrition, fitness and sleep:

About the Virtual Editor & Experts:

Gary Chisholm - Co-Virtual Editor

An experienced business traveler, Gary Chisholm knows what it takes to maximize one's performance while on the road. Gary has traveled professionally for the last fifteen years in the fields of business development and pharmaceuticals. As an editor and writer for About Business Travel, Gary shares tips and insight on business travel trends with fellow road warriors.

Gary received a Bachelor of Arts in English and Communications from Loyola University in New Orleans. He also received his Master's in Business Administration from Tulane University's A.B. Freeman School of Business. A native of New Orleans, Gary currently resides in Orlando. When not traveling on business, he enjoys visiting theme parks with his wife and sons.

Charlyn Chisholm - Co-Virtual Editor

Charlyn Keating Chisholm has been guiding travelers both on the Internet and in the real world for over ten years. The author of two published books, Charlyn has written hundreds of articles and produced video seen on the Travel Channel Online, Consumers Digest, TurnHere, About.com and the CBS affiliate TV station in New Orleans. Currently, she is the editor and writer of Hotels & Resorts on About.com, a top 10 Web property that is part of The New York Times Company.

A native of New Orleans, Charlyn earned a degree in communications from the University of Texas at Austin. When not traveling, she looks forward to spending time at home in Orlando with her husband and two sons.

Mary Lou Andre - Style Guru

Mary Lou Andre is a nationally recognized wardrobe, dress code and corporate image consultant, speaker and author. She is founder and president of Organization By Design, Inc., a Needham, Massachusetts-based wardrobe management, fashion and image consulting firm that helps individuals and organizations understand the power of being appropriately dressed in a variety of situations. Mary Lou is recognized by the media as a professional image, wardrobe organization, personal style and retail expert and has given in-depth interviews about a variety of these topics on ABC World News Now, CBS's The Early Show, and MSN's Money Central.

Harvey B. Simon, M.D - Exercise Guru

Harvey B. Simon, M.D is a graduate of Yale College and Harvard Medical School. Dr. Simon is currently an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and a member of the Health Sciences Technology Faculty at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the founding editor of Harvard Men's Health Watch, a monthly newsletter, and the author of six consumer health books, including The Harvard Medical School Guide to Men's Health (Simon and Schuster, 2002) and The No Sweat Exercise Plan. Lose Weight, Get Healthy and Live Longer (McGraw-Hill, 2006). Dr. Simon was a founding member of the Harvard Cardiovascular Health Center; he practices at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.