Brussles, May 2004� As of June 1, 2004, Rezidor SAS Hospitality will manage seven hotels in France, acquired by the financial group Darthall B.V. through a 100 percent shareholding of the E.G.H. group, previously owned by the Partouche Group.  Rezidor SAS will manage the hotels through a long-term lease agreement.
 

The 245-room Le Méridien in Lyon and the 120-room Park Hôtel Aix-les-Bains will be re-branded Radisson SAS and renamed the Radisson SAS Hotel Lyon and the Radisson SAS Hotel Aix-les-Bains respectively.  The remainder of the properties, located in Lyon, Nancy, Macon, Orange and Arcachon, will be re-branded Park Inn. The hotels have undergone renovations in recent years, collectively estimated at 11 million Euros (approx. $13 million U.S.). Rezidor SAS intends to make further investments, in particular in the Park Inn hotels, including the introduction of a new line of amenities conforming to brand standards.

Le Méridien Lyon Part-Dieu 129 rue Servient 69003 Lyon, France

With these additions, Rezidor SAS becomes a significant international hotel operator in France, with a total of 12 properties in operation including 1,844 rooms in the mid-market and first-class segments.

In addition, Radisson SAS hotels in Bordeaux, Paris Porte de Saint-Cloud and Disneyland Resort Paris are scheduled to open in 2005 and a Radisson SAS hotel in Marseille is scheduled to open in 2006. 

Rezidor SAS Hospitality, one of the fastest growing hospitality companies in the world, has a portfolio of five brands. Rezidor SAS is the sole franchisor in Europe, the Middle East and Africa for the Carlson brands: Radisson, Park Inn, Country Inn and Regent. Rezidor has recently announced the opening of its first lifestyle hotel under the brand Cerruti, a joint initiative with the international fashion house.  Rezidor SAS currently includes 220 hotels in operation and under development in 40 countries. The company aims to include 700 hotels under the different brands by 2012.