This latest renovation caps over $100 million in total additions and restorations at Colonial Williamsburg hotel and resort properties in recent years.  The world-renowned Williamsburg Inn underwent a recent extensive renovation, while the Woodlands Hotels & Suites made its debut in 2001. In making this week�s announcement, John Hallowell, president of the Colonial Williamsburg Company Hospitality Group, said he believes the latest renovation

Williamsburg Inn 136 East Francis Street Williamsburg, Virginia

�With what we�ve already completed and what we will be accomplishing with the Williamsburg Lodge, Colonial Williamsburg offers one of the finest resorts in America,� Hallowell said.  �This is a historic time for a property, and an organization, that always has been dedicated to preserving and presenting the first, formative chapter in America�s history.�

Opened to guests in 1939, as a way to encourage travelers to visit the historic town, the Williamsburg Lodge is one of the original Colonial Williamsburg hotels, constructed under the guidance of John D. Rockefeller Jr., the founder and first benefactor of the town�s restoration.  The first phase of the Lodge renovation is set to begin this month without interruption to ongoing business, while the entire project is scheduled to be complete in late 2006.

The luxury spa and health evaluation center will be located between the elegant Williamsburg Inn and the Williamsburg Lodge and Conference Center, and just a chip shot from the award-winning Golden Horseshoe Golf Club.  The new spa represents Colonial Williamsburg�s entry into the increasingly popular U.S. spa industry.  The separate new health evaluation center, meanwhile, will offer the most advanced diagnostic services and lifestyle counseling for men and women and is designed to help contribute to a guest�s overall well-being.

Remaining sensitive to its surroundings and respectful of its historic setting, the renovation will provide the Williamsburg Lodge with spacious, contemporary conference facilities on par with the best in the country.  When completed, the brand-new conference center will feature 45,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space - an increase of 9,000 square feet from the existing center, with a significantly larger ballroom, and additional meeting rooms and outdoor function areas.

To ensure more visitors can enjoy the casual, warm and comfortable setting of the Williamsburg Lodge, the number of guest rooms will be expanded from 264 to 323.  Federal-style, guesthouse wings will offer leisure and conference guests fine Southern tradition and hospitality. When completed, the total number of guest rooms in Colonial Williamsburg hotel properties will be 1,107.

Ever committed to maintaining the historic integrity of the property, however, not all of Colonial Williamsburg�s renovations have necessarily involved expanded numbers.  The recent renovation of the historic main building of the Williamsburg Inn, originally opened in April 1937, actually reduced the number of rooms from 95 to 62 allowing for larger guest rooms and suites.

With the new renovation, the Lodge�s main building will remain, serving as a cornerstone to the architectural plan.  While the South and Tazewell wings will be preserved, the main façade will be restored to its original concept.

Yet another significant aspect of the renovation will feature a dramatic new restaurant that will offer a menu accenting the region�s bounty from sea and land as well as superior guest service.   This new restaurant will complement the nine other dining options at Colonial Williamsburg, including four colonial dining taverns, the elegant Regency Room at the Williamsburg Inn, and the two grills at the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club.

Two respected architectural firms are working on the Lodge project:

• Culpepper, McAuliffe and Meadows Inc. (CMMI) of Atlanta, which is noted for its concentrated hospitality focus, including extensive �phased renovation� experience and conference center design expertise.
• Glave and Holmes Architects of Richmond, Va., were involved with the stunning renovation of the Kimball Theatre at Merchants Square and the new 30,000- square-foot College Corner retail building in Merchants Square.