IRVING, TX—Hotel REIT FelCor Lodging Trust Inc. has named Steven R. Goldman to be the company's next CEO, and as a member of its board of directors, effective March 1. Troy A. Pentecost, the company's president and COO, has served as interim executive officer since the retirement of president and CEO Richard A. Smith this past September.

Goldman most recently was a managing director at Starwood Capital Group, and president of Starwood Capital affiliate SH Group, a hotel brand management company overseeing the firm's two luxury and lifestyle hotel and residence brands, 1 Hotels and Baccarat Hotels and Resorts. Prior to that, he was CEO of Groupe du Louvre, one of Starwood Capital's portfolio investment holding companies based in France.

Prior to his years with Starwood Capital, Goldman served as president, CEO and board member of Sunstone Hotel Investors. Before that, he was head of global development and asset management for Hilton Worldwide and also oversaw global acquisitions and development for Hyatt Hotels Corp. and Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide.

FelCor board chairman Thomas J. Corcoran Jr. calls Goldman “a tremendously talented executive who brings an ideal combination of operational and transactional experience to our company, as we continue to pursue all paths to create value for shareholders. He has worked with many leading hotel companies and demonstrated an exceptional ability to generate returns for investors at the property, portfolio and corporate levels. We look forward to working closely with Steve and the entire senior management team as we continue to execute our initiatives to build shareholder value.”