DALLAS - Aug. 1, 2001-- Since 1910 the US Grant Hotel has been a gathering place for the visitors and residents of San Diego. Beginning today, Wyndham International, Inc.  will continue the hotel�s grand tradition by branding the historic
property with the Wyndham name. 

The US Grant - A Wyndham Historic Hotel, which is owned and managed by Wyndham, was originally built by Ulysses S. Grant, Jr. in honor of his father, the nation�s 18th President. Located in the heart of downtown San Diego�s business and cultural district, across from Horton Plaza, the Gaslamp Quarter and the San Diego Trolley, the hotel features 285 guestrooms including 60 suites with Queen Anne furnishings. 

�After managing the US Grant for four years, we are pleased to add this distinct hotel to our Wyndham portfolio of historic properties,� said Fred J. Kleisner, chairman and chief executive officer of Wyndham. �While the hotel is certainly significant and grand in its own right, the Wyndham name will attract a larger business and leisure traveling audience through the upcoming addition of state-of-the-art technology and service, continuing the property�s tradition for a new generation of travelers.� 

As part of the $3.5 million renovation, Wyndham will upgrade all guestrooms to feature its brand standard �Room That Performs� amenities, which include a Herman Miller® Aeron ergonomic desk chair, a CD alarm clock radio, a two-line cordless telephone, high-speed Internet access and high-end mattresses dressed in luxurious duvets/coverlets, decorative pillow shams and bed skirts, and Joseph Abboud® queen-size pillows and sheets. 

The hotel also features 33,000 sq. ft. of meeting and banquet space in 16 distinctly unique rooms, a concierge floor, a comprehensive business center (opening by December 2001), complimentary airport transportation, valet parking and a fitness center with spa service. The Zagat and local award-winning Grant Grill is reminiscent of the finest private clubs of yesteryear, with rich woods, brass and warm fabrics. The restaurant features a La Broche rotisserie kitchen with Old World charm that reminds us of a time when people knew how to dine. The Grant Grille Lounge, known as a downtown gathering place for local residents, features masculine oak decor, a polished black granite bar. 

Other Wyndham Historic Hotels located throughout the U.S. include the 120-room Ambassador West in Chicago; the 182-room Mayfair in St. Louis; the 147-room Tutwiler in Birmingham, Ala.; the 124-room Union Station in Nashville, Tenn.; the 331-room Tremont in Boston; the 117-room Tremont House and the 225-room Hotel Galvez in Galveston, Texas; the 37-room Fairmount and the 352-room St. Anthony in San Antonio; and the 216-room Bourbon Orleans and the 95-room Whitney in New Orleans.