The completely refurbished, like-new property features totally renovated guestrooms and public spaces, all-new landscaping, and the addition of The Beanery, a coffee and Internet cafe "proudly serving Barnie's Coffee." Extensive upgrades to the hotel's 115 deluxe guestrooms and 104 one-bedroom suites included installation of flat screen TVs, microwaves, refrigerators and CD players, as well as the Crowne Plaza Sleep Advantage Program, featuring special quiet floors, plush bedding, relaxation amenities and a guaranteed wake-up call. 

"This was a complete makeover of every aspect of the hotel, from the concrete up," said Ed Rohling, Lodgian president and CEO. "In addition to totally refurbishing the public areas and guestrooms, we upgraded the major equipment and back of the house areas, and also took the opportunity to make the property as energy-efficient as possible. We added a new energy-efficient air conditioning system, new piping, new fire alarm system and reconfigured the catering space to provide more flexibility for social and small meetings. While we can't guarantee that we won't suffer any future damage during a hurricane, at this point we feel very good about the hotel's ability to withstand major storms." 

"We are very pleased to have the Crowne Plaza West Palm Beach rejoin our portfolio of brands following significant hurricane damage in 2004," said Steve Porter, president, InterContinental Hotels Group, the Americas. "This impressive property exemplifies the brand's focus as 'The Place to Meet'." 

Rohling noted that Florida's east coast continues to recover from storms that struck the state in 2004 and 2005. "The Crowne Plaza is coming back into the West Palm Beach market at an opportune time. The hotel community has done very well during the past year, and we expect to open just as the high season begins with very strong occupancies and rates. We expect current robust market trends to continue." 

Margaret Leon, general manager, added that the Crowne Plaza is well positioned geographically for re-entry. "The Crowne Plaza West Palm Beach has the benefit of serving the West Palm Beach downtown, convention center, and resort area, as well as the Palm Beach International Airport. With that kind of access, we appeal equally to business and leisure travelers. 

"With our refurbished facilities, we also plan to aggressively build our meeting business. We offer 12,000 square feet of meeting and function space ranging from boardrooms to our ballroom, which is capable of handling up to 650 people. In the past month alone, the hotel has re-secured some key business contracts that start off as early as December 29." 

Located at 1601 Belvedere Rd., West Palm Beach, Fla., directly across from Palm Beach International Airport and 1.5 miles from downtown West Palm Beach, the property features such amenities as an outdoor swimming pool, whirlpool, fitness center with separate men's and women's locker rooms, each furnished with dry saunas, and a full-service restaurant and bar. 

About Lodgian 
Lodgian is one of the largest independent owners and operators of full-service hotels in the United States. The company currently owns and/or manages a portfolio of 78 hotels with 14,120 rooms located in 29 states and Canada. Of the company's 78-hotel portfolio, 49 are InterContinental Hotels Group brands (Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Select and Holiday Inn Express) 16 are Marriott brands (Courtyard by Marriott, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites and Residence Inn), and 11 are affiliated with four other nationally recognized hospitality franchises such as Hilton and Carlson (Radisson and Park Inn). Two hotels are independent, unbranded properties. For more information about Lodgian, visit the company's Web site: www.lodgian.com. 

This press release includes forward-looking statements related to Lodgian's operations that are based on management's current expectations, estimates and projections. 

Lodgian, Inc.
Debi Ethridge, 404-365-2719
[email protected]