The renovation involves a complete refurbishment of all guest rooms and baths. Included is new furniture, wallpaper, carpeting, drapes, bedspreads, lighting, artwork and bathroom tile. A new color scheme featuring warm, earth tones highlighted by blues and greens complements the traditional style of the furnishings. Interior design work was done in-house by Katherine Kesler of Interspace Design Group, Coconut Grove, FL. 

The Sheraton Society Hill is owned by Dallas-based FelCor Lodging Trust (NYSE: FCH), one of the nation's largest hotel real estate investment trusts, and managed by Starwood Hotels Resorts Worldwide, Inc. 

Bush Bell, who took charge of the hotel at the end of November 1998, most recently served as general manager of the Sheraton Atlantic City Convention Center Hotel, which opened in 1997 as Atlantic City's first convention center hotel. Known for his commitment to excellence through a focus on guest needs, Bell has served the last eight years in hotel manager or general manager positions at Sheraton hotels, which, in addition to his role at the Sheraton in Atlantic City, include the Sheraton Chicago Hotel Towers and Sheraton Suites Plantation in Florida. Prior to his career with Sheraton, which is now owned by Starwood Hotels Resorts Worldwide, Inc., he held senior level management positions at Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn hotels in South Carolina, Tennessee and Michigan.

During the Sheraton Society Hill's renovation, Bell is continuing to raise the level of guest service among his staff. "The Sheraton Society Hill has already earned a reputation for excellent service, but I would like to raise that bar even further," said Bush Bell. "With several new hotels entering the Philadelphia market in the next few years, the competition for business is becoming fiercer. We already excel in our training programs and service, and our new performance service standards have been designed to reinforce the commitment to guest service. When the renovation is completed at the end of the year, we will have the tools in place to keep our loyal guests coming back and to gain new business through our ability to offer both a better product and better service," he added.

The 365-room Sheraton Society Hill Hotel is located in the heart of America's most historic mile, adjacent to Penn's Landing and just 12 blocks from the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The hotel offers an array of services and facilities designed to appeal to both the business and leisure traveler. Food and beverage options include: Hadley's Bistro for casual dining three meals a day; the Wooden Nickel, a steak house and sports bar; The Courtyard, offering light dining and a selection of drinks in the evening; and 24-hour room service for the convenience of those who want to take advantage of guest room dining.

The hotel's 45 Smart Rooms(R) offer business travelers the convenience of in-room business services including a large working desk, ergonomically- designed chair, task lighting, extra electrical outlets and a combination fax/printer/copier on the desk.

The hotel's 20 meeting rooms offer 20,000 square feet of function space to accommodate groups as large as 1,000 for business meetings or social events. And when it is time to relax, a fully-equipped health club, complimentary to hotel guests, provides a range of cardiovascular and weight training machines and an indoor pool, with personal trainers and massage sessions available by appointment.

The Sheraton Society Hill Hotel is one of four of Starwood's Philadelphia- area Sheraton hotels, joining the Sheraton University City Hotel, Sheraton Philadelphia Airport Hotel and the newly opened Sheraton Rittenhouse Square Hotel, the first environmentally smart hotel in the continental United States.

FelCor Lodging Trust is one of the nation's largest hotel REITs. Since its initial public offering in 1994 with six hotels and 1,479 suites, FelCor's portfolio has grown to 190 hotels with nearly 50,000 rooms and suites. The company's hotel portfolio is primarily concentrated in the upscale, all-suite upscale and full-service segments. FelCor is the owner of the largest number of Embassy Suites, Crowne Plaza, Doubletree and Holiday Inn-branded hotels. Other leading hotel brands under which FelCor's hotels are operated include Sheraton Suites, Sheraton and Westin. FelCor has a current market capitalization of approximately $3.4 billion. Additional information on the company can be found on the Web at http:/felcor.com.

Starwood Hotels Resorts Worldwide, Inc., through its Sheraton, Westin, Luxury Collection, Four Points, W and Caesars subsidiaries, has 690 hotels in 71 countries with 125,000 employees and is one of the world's leading hotel and gaming companies.