�This is the 48th Winston hotel we manage and/or lease, and we look forward to further expanding our strategic relationship with them,� said Paul W. Whetsell, MeriStar chairman and chief executive officer.  �We manage five additional properties in the Chicagoland area, and we expect to optimize the Hilton Garden Inn�s revenues and profits by taking advantage of cross-marketing opportunities and operating synergies.�

Located at 1818 Maple in downtown Evanston, the six-story hotel is in the center of the 24-acre Northwestern University/Evanston Research Center, a major, 300,000-square-foot employment center that comprises 90 companies.  The hotel is part of a larger development that, when finished, will include an 18-screen theater, 120,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, office space and an apartment tower.  In addition to its proximity to Northwestern University, the hotel is located two blocks from a commuter rail station that provides direct service to downtown Chicago, and is approximately 15 miles from O�Hare International Airport.

The property, which opened July 2, includes a restaurant and lounge, an indoor pool, exercise facilities, meeting space for approximately 300 people, an executive boardroom and a business center.  All guest rooms include a compact refrigerator, microwave and coffee maker, high speed Internet access, two telephones and a dataport for modem connection.

MeriStar Hotels & Resorts operates 269 hospitality properties with more than 55,000 rooms in 36 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, and Puerto Rico, including 54 properties managed by Flagstone Hospitality Management, a subsidiary of MeriStar Hotels & Resorts.

Through its Doral Golf division, MeriStar manages 11 golf courses. 

This press release contains forward-looking statements about MeriStar Hotels & Resorts, Inc., including those statements regarding future operating results and the timing and composition of revenues, among others.