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 Charlie Cahill Named Director of Sales and Marketing for Red Lion Hotels Inns Re-launch and Expansion
 
VANCOUVER, Wash - June 14, 1999--Red Lion Hotels Inns, an affiliated brand of Promus Hotel Corporation (NYSE: PRH), today announced the appointment of a senior management team to oversee the company's aggressive expansion plans in the Northwest. Red Lion, with a current portfolio of 20 properties, intends to grow primarily through franchising and expects to have 100 properties open by 2003.

New appointees are Charlie Cahill, director, sales and marketing; Lisa Healea, brand revenue manager; Sharon Smith, director, franchise support; and George Wittmann, director, accounting and finance.

"Combined, the senior management team has more than 70 years of hospitality-related experience. The group will help lead the re-birth of a highly popular Northwest hotel brand that has been dormant the past few years," said Jim Dina, chief operating officer of Red Lion Hotels  Inns. "Their goal is to provide the expertise, support and direction to build our brand for our guests, our owners and our franchisees."

Charlie Cahill, sales and marketing director, will be responsible for annual marketing communications to support the brand, including national advertising, public relations, promotions and direct sales. He has 14 years of experience in the hospitality industry, and since early 1997 has held marketing positions with Promus Hotel Corporation. His last position was regional director of sales and marketing for the Pacific Northwest where he was responsible for coordinating the marketing and direct sales effort of Doubletree and Embassy Suites hotels as well as developing and managing regional cooperative advertising and public relations.

Lisa Healea, brand revenue manager, will oversee revenue management activities for all hotels in the Red Lion system. She has 12 years of industry experience specializing in hotel performance support and has extensive hotel sales and marketing background. Prior to joining Red Lion, Healea held a similar position as regional revenue manager for Promus and for Red Lion/Doubletree Hotels, where she acted as liaison between hotels, corporate offices, central reservations and systems control and developed sales strategies to optimize property revenues. Previously, she was director of sales and marketing for the Red Lion Coliseum Portland in Oregon.

As director of franchise support, Sharon Smith will manage franchise hotel operations, deliver performance support and develop, implement, and evaluate all brand programs and quality assurance initiatives. She comes to the position with 16 years of operations and management experience in the hospitality industry. She formerly was director, operations and administration, for Doubletree Hotels, in charge of quality assurance initiatives. She previously served in various management positions for Red Lion Hotels  Inns over the last 11 years.

George Wittmann, director, accounting and finance, will oversee all corporate and managed hotel accounting functions for Red Lion Hotels  Inns. A veteran with 29 years of financial and accounting experience in the hospitality industry, he formerly was regional controller for Promus, responsible for 13 hotels in Oregon, Washington and California. Previously, he held numerous financial and accounting positions with Sheraton, and he has 13 years experience with Promus.

"With the team now in place, Red Lion Hotels  Inns is fully prepared for the September re-launch and franchise expansion plans. We will have the size and distribution to aggressively move forward to become the preferred mid-market brand in our region of the country," Dina said.

Founded in the early 1960s, Red Lion quickly became a popular leisure and business hotel brand in the Pacific Northwest and West with the majority of its properties located along the Interstate 5 corridor. Including the nine hotels the company recently announced it will convert to the Red Lion brand, the current Red Lion hotel system comprises 29 properties with 4,853 rooms located in nine states.

Promus Hotel Corporation is one of the world's premier lodging companies with system-wide annual revenues of approximately $5 billion. The company owns, operates or franchises more than 1,300 hotels with more than 192,000 rooms throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and Latin America. Promus is the franchisor and operator of the Doubletree Hotels and Guests Suites, Embassy Suites, Homewood Suites, Club Hotels by Doubletree, Hampton Inn, Hampton Inn and Suites, Embassy Vacation Resorts, Hampton Vacation Resorts and Red Lion Hotels  Inns brands.

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Contact:
Jim Dina
Chief Operating Officer
Red Lions Hotels, Inc.
(360) 514-8927
Jerry Daly and Chris Daly (media)
Daly Gray Public Relations
 (609) 383-1414
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Also See: Re-invigorated Red Lion Hotel System Soon to be 29 Hotels Strong / June 1999 
Paul Allen and David Gallagher Added to Regal Hotels Global Sales / May 1999 

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