"It is with pleasure that I welcome Claudine to The Heldrich," stated Mr. Taylor.  "She brings superb credentials and industry experience within our market to her new role, and we are pleased to have her join our executive management team!"

Claudine Sidney comes to The Heldrich with broad experience in meetings and events management.  She was most recently the assistant director of event services at the Hilton in Short Hills, New Jersey.  Previous to this assignment, she served as general manager of the corporate conference center at Aventis Pharmaceuticals, located in Bridgewater, New Jersey.   

Ms. Sidney has been employed as conference planning manager for the Sheraton Meadowlands Hotel of East Rutherford, New Jersey.  She has also held the position of convention planning manager for the Sheraton at Woodbridge Place, in Iselin, New Jersey.

Claudine Sidney is a graduate of the prestigious Johnson & Wales University of Providence, Rhode Island.  She holds an Associates degree in hotel & restaurant management and a Bachelors degree in sales & meeting management.  Ms. Sidney resides in Easton, Pennsylvania.

About The Heldrich 

The Heldrich is located in the heart of New Jersey in New Brunswick.  The property, which is expected to open in March 2007, is situated at 10 Livingston Avenue, just west of the important US Route 1 business corridor stretching from Princeton to New Brunswick and near the Northeast Corridor train service (Boston-New York-Washington, DC) and Exit 9 of the NJ Turnpike.  It is 30 minutes outside New York City and has rail service to Newark Liberty International Airport. 

The $120 million, mixed-use facility includes a hotel and conference center to be anchored by the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, at Rutgers University's Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy.  The Heldrich represents a unique partnership among the New Brunswick Development Corporation (Devco), Keating Partners, Rutgers, New Jersey Department of Labor, New Jersey Redevelopment Authority, New Jersey Economic Development Authority, New Jersey Casino Redevelopment Authority, the Middlesex County Improvement Authority and the City of New Brunswick.  It is a major anchor to New Brunswick's downtown revitalization program. 

Upon completion, The Heldrich will feature 248 deluxe guestrooms, including 14 suites, Christopher's Restaurant & Bar, 25,000 square feet of special event and meeting facilities, including ballrooms, an amphitheater, boardroom, and 21 conference rooms accommodating from 10 - 500 guests.  The mixed-use property will also feature 48 luxury condominiums, along with academic and retail space.  

The Heldrich's Pre-opening Offices are situated on the 4th Floor of the Crossroads Theater at 7 Livingston Avenue in New Brunswick, directly across the street from the new hotel.  For more information on The Heldrich, call 732-729-4670 or visit www.theheldrich.com.   The Heldrich is operated by Benchmark Hospitality International.

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.