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Dow Hotel Company to Manage the 565-room Holiday Inn Select Downtown Hotel & Spa San Francisco; 
Will Oversee $15 Million Renovation

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SAN FRANCISCO, Calif./SEATTLE, Wash., June 8, 2004�The Dow Hotel Company (DHC), a hotel owner/investor and management company, today announced that it has signed a long-term management agreement to operate the 565-room/suite Holiday Inn Select Downtown Hotel & Spa San Francisco.  The property, owned by Justice Investors, will undergo a $15 million renovation that will commence in the fall.  The hotel has been leased since 1998 to FelCor Lodging Trust Incorporated (NYSE: FCH).  The lease will expire July 1, 2004.

�The architecturally stunning Holiday Inn Select Downtown is centrally located in the Financial District, at the edge of Chinatown, convenient to Union Square and North Beach and a short cable car ride from Fisherman�s Wharf,� said Murray L. Dow II, president.  �The renovation will completely make over the hotel and restore its reputation as one of the city�s best upscale hotels.�

Located at 750 Kearny St., the 27-story building�s soaring architecture, breathtaking views of the city and bay, and rooftop swimming pool first gained acclaim as the setting for the opening scene in the legendary movie, �Dirty Harry.�  �The renovation not only will significantly improve the quality of the hotel but will make it a more attractive destination, especially for the meeting and conference segments,� he noted. 

In addition to a renovation of the guest rooms, the plan includes a complete makeover of the Chinese Cultural Center located on the hotel�s third floor.  When the renovation is complete, the Center will boast a state-of-the-art, 5,200-square-foot ballroom, which will be used by both the Chinese Cultural Center and the hotel.  The remaining meeting space will be completely renovated, bringing the total available meeting space to 18,000 square feet, capable of handling functions of up to 650 guests. 

�Historically, the hotel has not had adequate meeting space for its size,� Dow said.  �This renovation will address that issue.  We are immediately creating a hotel sales and marketing organization to support our expanded meeting space and to build on our solid base of corporate and leisure travelers.�

The lobby will be completely made over and will include a stunning new lobby bar and a restaurant that will be relocated from the second floor.  The former restaurant will be converted to additional meeting space.  The exterior entrance will be redesigned to create a dramatic but tasteful sense of arrival at the property.

All guest rooms will be totally refurbished to include new bathrooms, soft goods, premium bedding and furniture, television sets and heating and air conditioning.  High speed Internet access will be added to all rooms, and security will be enhanced with a new electronic locking system.  All corridors and public spaces will be upgraded. 

A concierge lounge will be added on the 27th floor, and the hotel will feature about 40 concierge-level rooms when fully renovated.  The health club will be more than doubled in size to accommodate state-of-the-art physical fitness equipment.  The recently completed Tru Spa, a world-class day-spa, will continue to offer its unique brand of award-winning spa services. The Tru Spa will be unaffected by the renovation.  The enhanced business center will offer additional services and will be relocated from the lobby to a place more convenient for corporate and meeting guests.

Dow noted that the hotel will remain open during the renovation, which will be completed in phases in a manner that will be essentially transparent to the guests.  �We will complete one floor at a time, creating a buffer floor above and below the one being renovated so that our guests will not be disturbed.  When we complete the full refurbishment in 2005, the hotel will be one of the most competitive upscale hotels in the city.�

The Dow Hotel Company, headquartered in Seattle, is a national hotel owner/investor and operator of hotels. The company�s portfolio of owned and managed properties is comprised of institutional grade hotels, under such brands as Hilton, Embassy Suites, Sheraton, Crowne Plaza, Doubletree and Radisson.  The addition of San Francisco hotel is the second part of the company�s ongoing West Coast expansion plan; which began with the recent acquisition of The Crowne Plaza Portland in Oregon. The company aggressively seeks to acquire, co-invest with joint venture partners and/or manage mid- to large-size, institutional-grade, full-service hotels, especially those that have extensive food and beverage capabilities.

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Contact:
The Dow Hotel Company
Julie Bianchini-Dow
Director - Development Services
16400 Southcenter Parkway, Suite 305
Seattle WA 98188
206-575-3600
www.dowhotelco.com
Also See: Desai Hospitality Group Rebrands Two Year Old Wingate Inn in South San Francisco, CA to Holiday Inn Express / Aug 2003
Holiday Inn Select-San Francisco Union Square Converts to Crowne Plaza(R) / Aug 1998


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