HONOLULU, HAWAII USA -- Outrigger Hotels & Resorts, Hawaii's largest hotel chain, announced today that it has selected Yesawich, Pepperdine & Brown (YP&B) as its lead advertising agency. The Orlando-based firm, which has annual billings in excess of  $150 million, was one of four finalists that participated in a competitive review process in November.

YP&B will assume responsibility for Outrigger's advertising account in January following a transition from incumbent Peck Sims Mueller of Honolulu. Plans call for the opening of a Honolulu office with local staff and working closely with the supplier community in Hawaii.

Outrigger's hiring of YP&B "gives us a world-class marketing partner that is in closer touch with our North American customers," according to Rob Solomon, Outrigger's senior vice president of sales and marketing.

"Our selection of YP&B will make Outrigger far more competitive in the global marketplace" Solomon said. "Peter Yesawich, the head of the agency, is an innovative expert in the field of travel marketing, and his staff has an unmatched depth of experience in our industry."

Solomon said that Outrigger invited a number of Hawaii-based and mainland-based agencies to participate in its review process. �Although most of our hotels and many of our business relationships are based here in Hawaii, the majority of our customers are not,� he said. "It was a competitive process in every sense of the word," Solomon said. "Although our policy is to use qualified local resources, when appropriate, in each destination where we operate, we felt it was essential to include mainland firms in our advertising review. After all, we're an international account with advertising efforts in North America, Asia and Europe, and a growing portfolio of properties throughout the Pacific. No single agency will be able to meet all of our needs."

�Our top priority in Hawaii is keeping our 9,000 rooms full and our 2,500 employees working, and we chose the agency  best qualified to meet those goals." Solomon added that Clarence Lee Design of Honolulu will continue to produce the majority of Outrigger's brochures and other collateral.

YP&B has a full-time staff of 150 persons with offices in Orlando, St. Petersburg, New York and Phoenix. Current YP&B clients include Universal Studios, Wyndham Resorts, Doubletree Hotels, St. Maarten Tourism Board, Swissotel Worldwide, Carnival Hotels & Resorts and AMTRAK.

YP&B also co-authors the highly regarded YP&B/Yankelovich Partners National Travel MONITORsm.

Outrigger Hotels & Resorts is Hawaii's largest hotel company and the 28th largest in the U.S., offering 29 hotels and resort condominiums throughout Hawaii and the Marshall Islands, with projects currently underway in Palau, Guam, French Polynesia and Fiji. 1997 marked the company's 50th anniversary of doing business in the Islands. Outrigger's affiliate, Outrigger Lodging Services, manages nearly two dozen hotels and resorts throughout the U.S. mainland.

For reservations or information, call Outrigger Hotels & Resorts at 1-800-OUTRIGGER (1-800-688-7444) within the U.S. or Canada. Outrigger's toll-free number is also available from 130 countries via AT&T's new Direct 800© Service. Elsewhere call 303-369-7777. Internet users can access information on Outrigger via the World Wide Web at  www.outrigger.com. Outrigger's e-mail address is [email protected].