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Chicago & Midwest  + Downtown  + Hospitality  | 

State Hotel Association Hires New President & CEO

The Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association has hired Michael Jacobson as president and CEO. He joins Chicago-based IHLA Oct. 1 to succeed longtime CEO Marc Gordon, who announced his retirement earlier this year.

Jacobson comes to IHLA after eight years with the U.S. Travel Association as senior director of industry relations and political engagement. In that capacity, he spearheaded the USTA’s “Travel Talks” series of site visits connecting travel leaders with members of Congress.

“This is a crucial time for hotels and lodging statewide, and I look forward to building upon IHLA’s commitment to legislative advocacy, education and member engagement,” said Jacobson. “As one of the state’s key economic drivers, I am thrilled to represent the 281,000 Illinoisans whose livelihoods depend on the hospitality industry.”

IHLA’s chairman Tim Jacobson, who manages the Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile, said Jacobson will bring “experience, innovation and unmatched enthusiasm” to his new role.


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About Paul Bubny

Paul Bubny serves as Senior Content Director for Connect Commercial Real Estate, a role to which he brings 16-plus years’ experience covering the commercial real estate industry and 30-plus years in business-to-business journalism. In this capacity, he oversees daily operations while also reporting on both local/regional markets and national trends, covering individual transactions across all property types, as well as delving into broader subject matter. He produces 7-10 daily news stories per day and works with the Connect team and clients to develop longer-form content, ranging from Q&As to thought-leadership pieces. Prior to joining Connect, Paul was Managing Editor for both Real Estate Forum and GlobeSt.com at American Lawyer Media, where he oversaw operations at both publications while also producing daily news and feature-length articles. His tenure in B2B publishing stretches back into the print era, and he has served as Editor in Chief on four national trade publications. Since 1999, Paul has volunteered as the newsletter editor of passenger rail advocacy groups (one national, one local).

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