The Hotel Performance Excellence award signifies that the Cincinnati Marriott Northeast is one of the top 15 hotels among Rennaissance hotels, Marriott Hotels, Resorts and Suites and Marriott Conference Center hotels. This is the second time in 1999 that the hotel has been recognized nationally. Recently, the Cincinnati Marriott Northeast was also featured in a best practices study of the U.S. lodging industry by the Cornell School of Hotel Management. Sponsored by American Express and the American Hotel Motel Association, its findings named the Cincinnati Marriott Northeast and Bruggeman with Best Customer Service.

This month, the hotel receives its third consecutive four-diamond rating from the American Automobile Association (AAA) at a meeting of the Cincinnati Hotel and Motel Association.

Since its opening in 1996, the Cincinnati Marriott Northeast has received top awards consecutively from Marriott in customer service and is consistently ranked as one of the top Marriott hotels nationally. It was the first full- service Marriott developed and managed by Winegardner Hammons, Inc., and is a joint partnership with Western Southern Life Insurance Company of Cincinnati. Eagle Realty Group, a full-service real estate company also headquartered in Cincinnati, served as the real estate advisor to Western Southern on this investment. A Winegardner Hammons prototype, the hotel features 302 guest rooms, 14,000 square feet of meeting space, six executive boardrooms, business center, Concierge Level and lounge, RiverCity Grille, and Kokomo's Poolside Cafe.

Three other full-service Marriott hotels are now under construction by Winegardner Hammons, Inc. and Western Southern/Eagle Realty Group. The Birmingham Marriott, located in southeast Birmingham at I-459 and Hwy 280, opened March 15, 1999. The Cincinnati Airport Marriott, adjacent to the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, is slated to open in the fall of 1999. A full-service Marriott hotel, adjacent to the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in the Centreport Complex, will open in spring 2000.

The Western-Southern Life Insurance Company holds the highest ratings awarded by three independent ratings organizations -- Standard Poor's, Duff Phelps, and A.M. Best. Western-Southern Life is a member of the Western- Southern Life Enterprise, a dynamic group of financial services companies with $14 billion in assets.

Winegardner Hammons, Inc., is full-service management company with a reputation for progressive and successful management. WHI's owned/managed portfolio includes resorts, all-suite, extended-stay, full-service and conference center hotels in many diverse markets across the country. WHI currently manages over 30 hotels in the Unites States and operates most major hotel brands.

Marriott International, Inc. is a leading worldwide hospitality company with over 1,800 operating units in the United States and 52 other countries and territories. Marriott's lodging business includes hotels and vacation ownership (timeshare) resorts operated and franchised under the Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Residence Inn, Courtyard, TownePlace Suites, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites, Ramada International and Marriott Vacation Club International brands. Other businesses include senior living communities and services, and food service distribution. The company is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and has approximately 133,000 employees. In fiscal year 1998, Marriott International reported total sales of $8.0 billion. For more information, contact Mike Conway, Winegardner Hammons, 513-891-1066 phone/513-794-2590 fax, or Kent Bruggeman, 513-459-9800 phone/ 513-459-9808 fax.