Boston, MA, April 4, 2001 � The Saunders Hotel Group (SHG), a premier independent hotel company which has been setting standards of excellence in hotel development and management for three generations, announced that it will create Boston�s first truly unique boutique hotel out of the former police headquarters on Berkeley Street in Boston�s Back Bay. The new hotel will preserve the building�s history and flavor while offering a cutting-edge style and sophisticated urban minimalism that are entirely new in the Boston hotel market. 

Jeffrey Saunders, President and CEO of the Saunders Hotel Group, called the project �our most ambitious undertaking in twenty-five years.� He said the building �will be a landmark, combining the energy and sensibilities of the hottest New York and San Francisco boutiques with the warmth and �sense of place� you find only in the Back Bay.� The hotel is expected to open in early 2003.

Saunders added that the hotel will be a �preservation� project in the truest sense, combining eclectic detail with grand public spaces in one of Boston�s most beautiful early twentieth century buildings. With more than 200 rooms, the property will also add badly needed inventory to the downtown Boston market and will provide consumers with a much sought-after alternative to the traditional Boston lodging experience. The hotel�s offerings will include world-class cuisine, a cutting-edge bar scene and theatrical elements designed to evoke an altogether new level of energy, style and cool sophistication.
 Further details on the hotel�s design concept and marketing strategy are expected to be announced later this spring.

Saunders said that while the design and ambiance of the hotel will be new and original, the hotel�s level of exemplary guest service and personalized attention will mirror those at the Company�s other Boston area properties, The Lenox Hotel, the Copley Square Hotel and the Comfort Inn & Suites Boston Airport, which combined account for close to 700 rooms in the Boston area hotel market. Hotels owned and managed by the Saunders Hotel Group have been welcoming travelers to Boston for more than one-hundred years.

The Boston-based Saunders Hotel Group is operated by a distinguished family with a rich tradition of leadership in the hospitality industry and an unparalleled reputation for delivering consistent, customized, unique guest experiences at each of its properties.  The Berkeley Street police headquarters project continues the Company�s commitment to preserving the past and protecting the future, providing the highest standards of guest comfort, attention and excellence among Boston hotels.