Queenstown, Maryland, October 24, 2000 - Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels has been appointed to arrange a leasehold or joint venture and to raise equity financing for a planned expansion of the 86-room Wye River Conference Centers on behalf of the Aspen Institute, an organization renowned worldwide for leveraging the power of leaders to improve the human condition. 

The Aspen Institute Wye River campus is comprised of three distinct, full-service executive retreats�The River House, Houghton House and Wye Woods�each with its own meeting and dining rooms, accommodations and recreational facilities.  The retreat is an IACC-approved facility and is located on more than 1,100 acres along the Wye River on Maryland�s Eastern Shore.

�Current operating trends indicate that the property would benefit from an expansion and renovation,� said Mark Vollmer, Senior Vice President of Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels. �By partnering with the Aspen Institute in the expansion and renovation of the retreat, an investor would benefit from the long-term investment.�

Located only 70 miles from Washington, D.C., and less than one hour from the Baltimore Washington International (BWI) Airport, the Aspen Wye River campus has long played a key role in politics and business.  In 1998, it was the site of the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations, which resulted in the Wye River Peace Accord.  More recently, Elian Gonzalez, the displaced refugee of international prominence, and his family were sequestered in the area. 

The Wye River Conference Centers are popular among meeting planners around
the world.  The site, formerly known as Wye Plantation, was donated to  the Aspen    Institute in 1979.

William Paca, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and third governor of Maryland, maintained his family estate there, and a monument to his memory stands near the Aspen Institute�s Houghton House. 

Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels, the leading hotel investment banking services group in the world, provides clients with value-added investment opportunities and advice.  Its recent two-year success story includes the sale of 17,027 hotel rooms to the value of $2.2 billion in 75 cities and advisory expertise for 200,036 rooms to the value of $29.8 billion across 278 cities.  Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels� services include transactions, mergers and acquisitions, financial advice and capital raising, valuation and appraisal, asset management, strategic planning, operator assessment and selection and industry research.  Jones Lang LaSalle (NYSE: JLL) is the world�s leading real estate services and investment management firm, operating across more than 100 key markets on five continents.