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  Olympus Hospitality Group Breathing New Life 
into a Legendary Name in the World of 
International Resorts; Rockresorts
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - March 9, 2000 - A leading hospitality company dedicated to creating a unique resort experience for generations of future guests is making a major commitment to bring past standards of quality and service into the 21st Century.  The Scottsdale-based Olympus Hospitality Group announces that it has assembled a unique portfolio of world-class properties which will now be known as Rockresorts.

By bringing new four-star resorts under the Rockresorts banner the company is breathing new life into one of the legendary names in the world of international resorts.

Olympus Hospitality Group acquired the Rockresorts signature in 1999.

The new portfolio of Rockresorts includes Cheeca Lodge in the Florida Keys, a favorite among Presidents as well as avid fishermen; the new CuisinArt Resort Spa in Anguilla, noted for its elegant spa and fine cuisine enhanced by the resort�s own hydroponic farm; La Posada de Santa Fe, a charming blend of old and new in the heart of one of America�s most exciting and beautiful cultural centers; and Rosario Resort, a tribute to the sweeping beauty of the San Juan Islands of the Pacific Northwest.

New Rockresorts Continues Time-Honored Tradition

Olympus Hospitality Group�s President L.K. Eric Prevette and Executive Vice President Carlos Lopes announced their intention to enhance with Signature Services the quality standards that Laurance Rockefeller�s Rockresorts made world-famous three decades ago. They noted that Rockresorts plans to expand aggressively through acquisitions of unique
destination resort properties as well as through management contracts.

The Prevette-Lopes team has been affiliated with world-class, five-star properties in the course of their careers, including, among others, Hotel Bel-Air, Los Angeles; Grand Hotel du Cap Ferrat, France; the K-Club, Barbuda, BWI; and Cap Juluca, Anguilla.

�We are continuing a tradition established by Laurance Rockefeller,� stated Mr. Prevette. �Simply put, his resorts were places of exceptional beauty, offering a distinctive vacation experience. In our commitment to identify resorts of unique character amidst incomparable natural settings throughout the world, we honor that legacy even as we create memorable vacation experiences appropriate for today�s traveler.�

Mr. Lopes stated that each of these properties is highly individualized in character as reflected in the stunning environments where they are found.

�We celebrate the uniqueness of each one with an extensive menu of guest experiences that takes full advantage of each setting and a food concept that reflects the freshest of local and regional produce as well as regional culinary influences. Our chefs will accommodate any request for special preparations and comfort foods,� noted Mr. Lopes.

Guests Will Feel Like Members of a Special Club

�What will be common to all Rockresorts is a quality of vacation experience that fully engages and delights the guest without intruding on his or her privacy. We want our guests to feel like members of a club where they are comfortable exploring old and new interests, interacting with other interesting people and enjoying their solitude as well,� Mr. Lopes noted.

�In fact,� stated Mr. Lopes, �we will offer a club experience with special benefits for guests who frequent any or all of our Rockresorts. In the same way that a fine hotel can assure a guest that he will always have his favorite pillow, we will make sure that our repeat visitors at any or all of our resorts have their preferences noted in a linked data-base which will allow us to give them VIP treatment.�

Mr. Prevette and Mr. Lopes noted that as Rockresorts grows the company will continue to look for resorts that either have distinguished histories or, if new, set imaginative new standards for facilities, services and location. With the exception of CuisinArt Resort Spa, which opened in the Caribbean in December 1999 with an outstanding spa and hydroponic farm, the other resorts in the current portfolio enjoy illustrious histories.

All existing and future Rockresorts will offer the company�s unique Signature Services which impact every aspect of resort life and are designed to assure that all guests receive personalized attention, the highest quality facilities and services and a welcoming sense of being integrated into the Rockresorts �club� atmosphere.

The resorts also focus on activities for guests with a great diversity of interests. Full-service spas are integral to the Rockresorts experience (Cheeca Lodge is creating a new 5000-square-foot spa as part of a present renovation) as are recreational and cultural activities specific to each resort�s setting. Whale watching in the San Juan Islands, the Santa Fe Opera and deep sea fishing in the Florida Keys are examples.

But the pampering extends well beyond spas to encourage guests to treat themselves to whatever rejuvenates or inspires them, from biking to skiing to culinary classes to Yoga.

Extraordinary Recreational Options Abound

�In fact,� mentioned Mr. Lopes, �what we are focusing on are the world-class recreational facilities literally at the back door of our resorts. For example, Cheeca Lodge offers exemplary deep-sea fishing, golf and abundant opportunities to explore the diversity of the ecology that makes the Florida Keys so distinctive. Rosario Resort offers scuba diving, boating and sailing as well as hiking and golf. La Posada offers golf, as well as, in the winter season, convenient access to world class ski resorts.

CuisinArt Resort Spa can provide guests a variety of water activities including scuba and snorkeling.� Dedicated to providing a physical setting and casually elegant �home away from home� ambience that helps vacationers relax, rejuvenate and revitalize body and spirit, Rockresorts is aiming to win over loyal customers for life.  �Ideally, we want our guests to arrive as newlyweds and return with their children and grandchildren generation after generation,� Mr. Lopes stated.

One way to accomplish that goal, he said, is through substantial, ongoing investment in staff training on the resort level.

�We want our employees to have a passion for this industry and for their craft. If we can make Rockresorts a great place to work, it will also be a great experience for guests.�

Mr. Prevette and Mr. Lopes are bringing to Rockresorts a new management vision which has secured their success with some of the most prestigious hotels in the world.

The Olympus Hospitality Group, an affiliate of Olympus Real Estate Corporation, was created in late 1999 to oversee four distinct hotel groups; Rockresorts, Unique Hotels, Park Plaza International and Park Inns International. Olympus Hospitality Group�s expanding hotel and resort portfolio includes 104 properties around the world.  

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Contact:
Rockresorts, 
Olympus Hospitality Group, 
6263 N. Scottsdale Rd. Suite 200, 
Scottsdale, AZ 85250; 
www.rockresorts.com

 
Also See: Olympus Making Bold Moves - Olympus Real Estate of Dallas Spends$1 Million Buying the Rockresort / JMBM / March 2000 
Richard A. Holtzman Resigns as President of Grand Bay Hotels Resorts / Sept 1999 
Unique Hotels & Resorts New York City Hotel Cluster is Prototype for Future Expansion / July 1999 

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