FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 14, 2009
Media Contact: AnneMarie DeFreest
802-496-2276, annemarie@theroundbarn.com<

The Inn at The Round Barn Farm's AnneMarie DeFreest Elected as Chairperson at the Professional Association of Innkeepers International

Waitsfield, Vermont —The Professional Association of Innkeepers International (PAII) announces AnneMarie DeFreest is the newly elected Chairperson of the Board of Directors. DeFreest was elected at the PAII Innkeeping Conference & Trade Show held recently in Williamsburg, Virginia.

DeFreest, the second generation innkeeper and co-owner of the Inn at the Round Barn Farm, has been a consecutive member of PAII for 20 years beginning when DeFreest’s parents, Jack and Doreen Simko first purchased and lovingly restored the Round Barn Farm – now a Select Registry property and on the National Registry of Historical Places.

“I remember when there were less than 100 members and am honored to have the opportunity to give back to an organization that has provided me with so much education, insight, and possibilities,” comments DeFreest. “I believe in the power of what comes around goes around and now is my time to bring it back around. I am thrilled to work with the entire PAII staff to continue our organization’s growth and prosperity.”

The PAII Board of Directors serves as the governing body for PAII – the innkeeping industry’s largest trade association.

About PAII – www.paii.org
The Professional Association of Innkeepers International (PAII), founded in 1988, is the innkeeping industry’s largest trade association. PAII is committed to fostering a knowledgeable, caring and conscientious community of professional innkeepers, networking with each other throughout the world. PAII provides education, communications, public relations, advocacy, networking, and research services to its membership and the greater industry. PAII hosts the world’s largest annual gathering of innkeepers, The Innkeeping Conference & Trade Show, and publishes the industry’s leading trade publication, Innkeeping Quarterly (IQ), which reaches over 16,000 innkeepers.

About the Inn at Round Barn Farm - www.theroundbarn.com
Located on 245 acres of Vermont mountains, meadows, and ponds in the beautiful Mad River Valley, lies the historic Round Barn Farm, a four season vacation retreat for lovers of the arts, history, the outdoors, and Vermont bed & breakfast escapes. The Inn at the Round Barn Farm is a proud member of the Professional Association of Innkeepers International, the Select Registry, and is recognized for its environmental commitments as a Green Hotel in the Green Mountain State. The Inn at the Round Barn was a founding member of both the Vermont Association of Wedding Professionals and the Vermont Fresh Network and is home to Cooking From the Heart Catering and the Green Mountain Cultural Center.