�MeriStar has extensive experience in managing university and convention center market hotels,� said Paul Whetsell, MeriStar chairman and CEO. �For example, we currently manage the Doral Forrestal in Princeton, N.J., which has a similar operating profile, and we expect to bring that experience to bear in carving out leadership positions for these university hotels in their respective markets.�

Marriott Hotel at Vanderbilt

The 11-story, 307-room Marriott Hotel at Vanderbilt is situated adjacent to Vanderbilt University and Centennial Park in Nashville, Tennessee. The hotel is part of a mixed-use development with a 300,000 square foot office building and 62,000 square feet of retail space. Retailers currently include PF Chang�s, Fleming�s Steak & Wine Bar, Starbuck�s Coffee, Border�s Books & Music and Aveda Spa & Salon. The project is tied together by a central plaza and shares a structured parking facility adjacent to the hotel. Amenities include a lounge, 145-seat restaurant, fitness center, indoor pool and whirlpool spa.

�The Marriott Hotel at Vanderbilt is our first property in the Nashville market and expands our working relationship with Hardin Capital, a prominent hotel developer,� Whetsell added. 

Nathan Hale Inn & Conference Center, Connecticut

Located behind South Campus at the University of Connecticut, the five-story, 100-room Nathan Hale Inn & Conference Center is the school�s first on-campus hotel. Hotel amenities include an Internet-friendly business center, five conference rooms, Jacuzzi, swimming pool, fitness center, restaurant and lounge.

David Kornfeld, general manager, noted that on-campus hotels play an important role in attracting meeting business to a community. �They provide an attractive site for conferences and give attendees easy access to other parts of the campus. University hotels also are major employers of students�more than half of our staff are UConn students.�

This project is the second hotel in which MeriStar has participated with developer Robert B. Friedman of Woodbury, N.Y. A third project, the Wesleyan Inn in Middletown, Conn., currently is under development.

MeriStar Hotels & Resorts operates 276 hospitality properties with more than 57,000 rooms in 41 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada, 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,� within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, about the Company, including those statements regarding future operating results and the timing and composition of revenues, among others, and statements containing words such as �expects,� �believes� or �will,� which indicate that those statements are forward-looking.