The Birmingham Marriott features 295 guest rooms, 14,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, nine executive boardrooms, an indoor pool and fitness center and over 200 "Rooms That Work(TM)." Specially designed for business travelers and offered at no additional charge, "Rooms That Work(TM)" are equipped with a large console table and writing desk with adjustable ergonomic chair, moveable desk light, two-line telephones and a data port.

The hotel will participate in the Marriott Rewards frequent traveler program as well as Marriott's highly-acclaimed Meetings Program.

The General Manager, Larry Cooper, leads a team of highly experienced sales professionals including Ashley Condon and Debbie Higgins, Sales Account Managers; Allison Hale and Anna Fowler, Sales and Catering Managers.

Adjacent to Grandview Corporate Park and HealthSouth, the hotel is convenient to Perimeter Park South, Raytheon, BellSouth. Area attractions include Bruno's Memorial Golf Classic, Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, Birmingham Zoo, Talladega Super Speedway, VisionLand and the McWane Center.

The Birmingham Marriott is the seventh joint venture for Winegardner Hammons, Inc. (WHI) and The Western and Southern Life Insurance Company. Both companies are based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Eagle Realty Group, a full-service real estate company also headquartered in Cincinnati, served as the real estate advisor to Western and Southern Life on this investment.

The Cincinnati Marriott Northeast, which opened in 1996, was the first full-service Marriott developed by the partnership. It is consistently ranked as one of the top Marriott hotels in the world and has won numerous national awards for excellence. The partnership's second Marriott, the Columbus Marriott Northwest, was named best new opening by Marriott for 1998. Two other Marriott hotels are now under development by Winegardner Hammons and Western and Southern Life/Eagle Realty. 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 and Southern Life Insurance Company holds the highest ratings awarded by three independent ratings organizations -- Standard Poor's, Duff Phelps, and A.M. Best. Western and Southern Life is a member of the Western- Southern 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.