DENVER � October 18, 2000 - Marking the company�s first entrance into the members-only club market, Destination Hotels & Resorts was selected by a private Texas company to manage the exclusive, private Garden of the Gods Club and the associated Kissing Camels Club in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  The company began managing the property, which includes a full-service day spa, 27 holes of golf, fine dining and breathtaking views of the Garden of the Gods Park and Pikes Peak, in July.  

Destination Hotels & Resorts plans few changes to the property, citing its superior quality and service.  However, for the first time, a limited number of non-members will be invited to experience this property through select executive, corporate and social meetings and conferences during the fall, winter and spring. 

The Garden of the Gods Club is open to members and special guests as well as small executive retreats and social meetings.  With 108 rooms, ranging from clubhouse rooms and suites to private golf cottages, the Garden of the Gods Club is perched on a mesa overlooking the unusual rock spires of Garden of the Gods Park in Colorado Springs.  Members and guests have access to 27 holes of golf, junior Olympic-sized pool and a recreation center at the Kissing Camels Club, as well as fine dining, fitness center, private pool and gardens, nine tennis courts, special events and a full-service spa on property at the Garden of the Gods Club.  

�Backed by our extensive experience with exclusive, boutique and luxury properties like the Royal Palms Hotel and Casitas in Phoenix and L�Auberge Del Mar Resort and Spa near San Diego, Destination Hotels & Resorts is thrilled with the opportunity to enhance the club and preserve the integrity of the current membership base while maintaining its relaxed elegance, private atmosphere and superior guest service,� said Mark Hickey, senior vice president of operations for Destination Hotels & Resorts.  

For Destination Hotels & Resorts, this is the second management contract signed, and the fourth property added to its portfolio of upscale, independent hotels and resorts, since June 2000.  Totaling nearly 1,200 rooms and representing a 20 percent increase in portfolio size for the company, these four properties include the Pointe South Mountain Resort in Phoenix, which Destination Hotels & Resorts began managing in August.

�Destination Hotels & Resorts is experiencing an exceptional growth spurt this year, attributed to timing in the market place and the hard work of our associates in finding opportunities valuable for our company, our investors and our clients,� said Charles Peck, president and COO of Destination Hotels & Resorts.  �This opportunity puts Destination Hotels & Resorts much closer to its goal: emerging as the most prominent independent management company in the hospitality industry, especially for unique, independent assets like the Garden of the Gods Club.�

Based in Denver, Destination Hotels & Resorts manages six other properties in Colorado, including the Inverness Hotel & Golf Club in Englewood, the Vail Cascade Resort in Vail and The Gant in Aspen.  

With the addition of the Garden of the Gods Club and the Pointe South Mountain Resort, Destination Hotels & Resorts offers a collection of 24 upscale and luxury hotels and resorts featuring more than 7,000 guest rooms, 13 golf courses and five full-service spas spanning the United Kingdom and nine U.S. states including Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, North Carolina, Oregon and South Carolina, as well as the District of Columbia.