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 Benchmark Appoints Rikki Boparai General Manager
for the Historic Bedford Springs Resort
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The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, June 5, 2006 - Benchmark Hospitality International has announced the appointment of Kanwaljeet 'Rikki' Boparai as general manager for the historic Bedford Springs Resort.  The landmark property, which dates to 1796, is situated on 2000 wooded acres near Bedford, Pennsylvania, within a two-hour drive from Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Washington, DC.  Throughout its distinguished history, Bedford Springs has served seven US Presidents, including James Buchanan, who used it as his Summer White House.  Ellen Sinclair, vice president for Benchmark Hospitality, made the announcement.
 
"Rikki is an extraordinary hospitality professional with immense style and a "whatever it takes" commitment to success," stated Ellen Sinclair.  "He is an executive who processes extensive knowledge of our business and is an extraordinary example of Benchmark's culture and the positive environment we bring to our properties."
 
Mr. Boparai was most recently director of operations at Benchmark's Cheyenne Mountain Resort of Colorado Springs, Colorado.  In this role, utilizing his vast knowledge of the industry and strong managerial capabilities, he was an extremely effective leader of the property's operational team.
 
Boparai also served as Benchmark's Lead Field Staff Support for the company's Rooms Division, assisting with other properties' operational objectives and monitoring industry trends.  He has contributed to Benchmark's growth through property transitions, serving as interim general manager for Benchmark's Glen Cove Mansion Hotel and Conference Center of Glen Cove, New York, and Berry Hill Plantation Resort of South Boston, Virginia.
 
Prior to joining Benchmark, Mr. Boparai was corporate director of rooms for Noble House Hotels and Resorts.  He also served as director of operations at the company's La Playa Beach and Golf Resort, located in Naples, Florida.
 
About Bedford Springs Resort 
 
The historic Bedford Springs Resort, which dates to 1796, is undergoing a comprehensive renovation and expansion program to create a 216-guestroom Four Star-quality destination resort and conference facility.  The property is expected to reopen in the summer of 2007.
 
The National Historic Landmark resort has hosted such distinguished guests as Aaron Burr, Daniel Webster, and seven US Presidents, including James K. Polk, William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor, Ronald Reagan (while Governor) and James Buchanan, who used Bedford Springs as his Summer White House. In 1857 in the Grand Lobby, President Buchanan received the first transatlantic cable from England's Queen Victoria. 
 
A classic 'springs resort' with many of the original buildings and architectural elements still in place, the restored and expanded Bedford Springs Resort will feature the Crystal Room restaurant, a colonial frontier-style tavern situated in the original stone building, over 19,000 square feet of meeting and event space with pre-function areas to accommodate a wide variety of groups, a restored 1905 swimming pool and solarium - one of the first in America, and the new spa complex.   The spa complex will total 30,000 square feet and have a full range of treatments designed around the seven unique springs that are part of the property and the history of the resort. There will also be a fitness area and a full service salon.
 
Outdoor amenities will include the restoration of the Donald Ross 18-hole golf course and a new pro shop.  Ross, widely considered the father of American golf architecture, re-designed the existing course in 1923 and added his signature features, such as small greens, serpentine bunkers, doughnut bunkers, false fronts on greens and more.  Also, the resort will offer three tennis courts, an outdoor pool and spa with sun decks, a snack bar, miles of hiking trails covering the surrounding 2,000 acres of natural wooded landscape, a mountain biking program, and a Kids Camp program.

Additional activities and amenities are an historic outdoor wedding grotto, spa garden, an outdoor pavilion on Red Oak Lake, fly fishing streams, river rafting, carriage rides and day excursions and cross country skiing in season.
 
Situated on 2000 acres just outside the charming borough of Bedford in south central, Pennsylvania, the Bedford Springs Resort is located on Highway 220, three miles south of Exit 146 of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.  Close to the intersection of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Interstate 70, the resort is a convenient two-hour drive from Baltimore, Washington, DC, and Pittsburgh, and two and one half hours from Philadelphia and four hours from New York City.  To learn more about Bedford Springs Resort, visit www.bedfordspringsresort.com.  The property is owned by Bedford Resort Partners, Ltd.  Benchmark Hospitality International operates the resort.
 
Benchmark Hospitality International, an independent hospitality management company based in The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, operates resorts, conference centers, hotels and condominium resorts both domestically and internationally.  For locations of Benchmark Hospitality properties and for additional information, visit Benchmark's Website at www.benchmarkhospitality.com.  

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Contact:

Benchmark Hospitality International
The Woodlands (Houston), Texas
www.benchmarkhospitality.com

Ken Ellens
Ken Ellens Communications 
201-758-2864 / 201-758-2865-Fax
[email protected]

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Also See: Benchmark Appoints Todd Gillespie Director of Sales & Marketing for the Historic Bedford Springs Resort / May 2006
Rikki Boparai Named Director of Operations of Cheyenne Mountain Resort / August 2004

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