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London's The Great Eastern Hotel Reopens, 
a 50-50 Joint Venture Between
Conran Holdings and Wyndham International
DALLAS- March 2, 2000- Wyndham International, Inc. (NYSE:WYN) today announced the opening of The Great Eastern Hotel. The landmark property is the only hotel located in London�s financial district�the Square Mile, otherwise known as the City�and next to the emerging East End creative neighborhoods. 

The 65 million British pounds Great Eastern Hotel is a 50-50 joint venture between Conran Holdings and Wyndham International, who are responsible for the management of the restaurants and the hotel, respectively. With its prime location at the corner of Bishopsgate, adjacent to Liverpool Station, the Great Eastern Hotel features 267-rooms, which include 21 suites. Sir Terence Conran, the designer and restaurateur, has opened four new restaurants and two bars in the property. 

�By adding the Great Eastern Hotel in London to our portfolio of upper upscale and luxury properties, we are further expanding our distribution network in major cities,� said James D. Carreker, chairman and chief executive officer of Wyndham International. �This is our first flagship hotel outside North America. London ranks among the world�s most important gateway destinations. As such, it is key to our destination marketing strategy, providing Wyndham�s discriminating customers with an outstanding alternative for their business and leisure travel to London. We are very proud to have developed this landmark property in partnership with the renowned Sir Terence Conran.�

Wyndham�s strategy is to establish Wyndham flagship hotels in gateway cities and major destination markets. The Great Eastern Hotel is Wyndham�s fifth flagship hotel added in the past year. Last week Wyndham re-flagged one of Miami�s leading hotels, a 177-room hotel in the heart of the city, naming it the Wyndham Grand Bay - Coconut Grove. In December 1999, Wyndham acquired one of New Orleans� leading hotels and renamed it the Wyndham New Orleans at Canal Place.  Other recent additions include the Wyndham Atlanta, a 312-room hotel in downtown Atlanta; the Wyndham Chicago, a 417-room hotel in the �Magnificent Mile� corridor, and the Wyndham Boston, a 362-room hotel located in Boston�s financial district.

�We are very excited to bring Wyndham to yet another important gateway city,� said Fred Kleisner, president and chief operating officer of Wyndham. �With its superb location and state of the art communications infrastructure, the Great Eastern Hotel is designed to meet the diverse needs of Wyndham�s core business travelers. Its outstanding restaurants and proximity to London�s art scene in the East End will also appeal to leisure travelers. We expect this strategically located flagship hotel to become one of the jewels in the Wyndham crown.�

At The Great Eastern, Sir Terence also introduces four exciting new restaurants to the London scene, along with two new bars that will no doubt rank among the most chic of the City�s outposts. Its restaurants and bars�Aurora, Terminus, Miyabi, Fishmarket, George and GE Club�offer a sophisticated range of dining and entertainment choices.  The Great Eastern Hotel features 12 private dining and event rooms, a six-story Gallery with glass roof and projection wall, and a fitness center with personal trainers. 

As London�s first major hotel to open in the new millennium, the Great Eastern boasts a state-of-the-art communications infrastructure that includes high-speed ISDN Internet connections.  The Great Eastern Hotel reflects Sir Terence�s signature contemporary designs, comfortably juxtaposed with the building�s rich architectural detailing. The hotel�s furniture collection includes pieces from the collections of Jacobson, Eames, Mies van der Rohe and Conran Partners. Bed linens are by Frette.

The Great Eastern Hotel has a rich architectural history. Designed by Sir Charles Barry and his son Charles Edward Barry of the great 19th Century British architectural dynasty. With its magnificent red brick facade and proportions on all three external elevations, the Great Eastern was for many years pre-eminent among London�s elegant railway hotels. Its many classic interior features include marble staircases, fine plasterwork and moldings and many elegant public rooms.  In 1901, an extension was added by Colonel Robert W. Edis, who is perhaps best known for the ballroom at Sandringham, a commission of King Edward VII. Edis� design for the exterior of the new building seems to have consciously imitated the Barry�s work of 20 years before. In contrast, his work for the interior indulged his taste for the baroque plasterwork, late Elizabethan oak paneling and an Egyptian Masonic temple.
Manser Associates, architects, have worked closely with Conran Partners, interior and graphic designers, to achieve the sublime effect that is the millennial Great Eastern Hotel.

Wyndham International, Inc. (NYSE:WYN) offers primarily upscale and luxury hotel and resort accommodations through proprietary lodging brands and a management services division. Based in Dallas, Wyndham International has 300 hotels and more than 70,000 rooms in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe. 

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Contact:
Wyndham International, Inc., Dallas
Fred Stern, 
214/863-1258
http://www.wyndhamintl.com
Also See: Fred Kleisner Leaves Starwood; Joins Wyndham as President and COO / July 1999 
Wyndham Redevelops Art Deco Skyscraper in Boston to a Flagship Hotel / Jan 1999 

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