Saint Louis Hotel News October 2004 St. Louis Hotels Guide www.hotels-stl.com St. Louis Hotels Guide is a complete resource of hotels listed by area for your convenience. Please call ahead to confirm information or for reservations. St. Louis Hotel News spotlight on development and events at area hotels. "If it's happening in St. Louis, it's on St. Louis Front Page." St. Louis News St. Louis CitySide Business News Community News St. Charles News Southwest, IL News Art Gallery News Restaurant News Local Attractions Entertainment Shopping Guide Weather Downtown Map Gateway Arch Busch Stadium America's Center Savvis Center Union Station Metropolitan Map Central West End Clayton Forest Park West Port Plaza St. Charles Lambert Airport Transportation How To Reach Us: St. Louis Front Page P.O. Box 1354 St. Louis, MO 63188 Voice: 314-771-0200 Fax: 314-771-0300 To submit restaurant news, contact: editor@slfp.com To advertise, contact: advertising@slfp.com

Extended-Stay Hotel to be Built In St. Louis' Central Business District ST. LOUIS, MO (SLFP.com), October 10, 2004 - Winston Hotels, Inc., a real estate investment trust (REIT) and owner of premium limited-service, upscale extended-stay and full-service hotels, has announced it has closed on a $5.5 million mezzanine loan to construct a 188-room Residence Inn by Marriott in St. Louis, Mo. The primary lender, Heartland Bank headquartered in St. Louis, provided a $14.5 million loan. The estimated total cost of the project is $25.0 million. "This is a well-located site, in a market where both business and leisure travel demands are rebounding, and includes a leading brand in the fast-growing upscale extended-stay segment," said Joe Green, president and chief financial officer. "The developer, Dominion Hospitality Group, a division of the Mullenix Companies, has a proven track record with considerable experience in the extended stay segment, and we are pleased to be a part of this project, as we grow our company through our mezzanine loan program. We continue to seek other mezzanine lending opportunities that offer attractive yields, and we have a very active loan pipeline." "Through Winston's program, we were able to secure very competitive financing for this project," said Mike Mullenix, president of the Mullenix Companies. "Because Winston is also an owner, they brought greater insight and flexibility to the transaction than we have experienced with other lenders." The eight-story, 188-room Residence Inn will be situated on a 3.15-acre parcel of land at the intersection of Jefferson Avenue and Highway 40 in downtown St. Louis. Typical to the Residence Inn brand, the all-suite hotel will offer a guest laundry, a breakfast area, a fitness room, and an indoor swimming pool and lounge area. The hotel also will have 2,600 square feet of meeting space. The property's immediate neighborhood is dominated by the A.G. Edwards headquarters complex, which contains over 1 million square feet of owner-occupied office space. In addition to A.G. Edwards, the hotel will be proximate to several other corporate demand generators, including Sigma Chemical, Ralston Purina, Ameren Corporation and the medical facilities of Washington University and St. Louis University. Tourist attractions include the city's three major sports teams, the Cardinals, Rams and Blues, the Gateway Arch, the Riverfront, and the Anheuser Busch Brewery. The hotel will be in proximity to Washington University and St. Louis University. When completed, it will be the first extended-stay hotel in the central business district (CBD) of St. Louis. Survey of Business Travelers Reveals Surprising Results BEVERLY HILLS, CA (SLFP.com), October 3, 2004 - The first annual Hilton Garden Inn "Ask the Traveler" survey released today took a deep look into the psyche of the business traveler, resulting in some surprising and insightful findings, including a fondness for Carmen Electra and Brad Pitt. The survey was administered at two Hilton Garden Inn properties as a beta test to determine what business travelers really want. Guests were asked five questions, ranging from the preferred newspaper outside the door to how they prefer their wake-up call in the morning. "Hilton Garden Inn, wants to remain in touch with our guests to find out what they need, what they want and what will make their stay a great experience," said Mark Nogal, vice president of marketing for Hilton Garden Inn. "We started with a survey sample at two hotels to test it out, and moving forward, we will continue to survey our guests to learn as much as we can about the changing needs of business travelers." What Do Guests Forget Most? The survey revealed that when guest respondents were asked which item they forget most often while traveling for business, 31 percent said a cell phone charger. Approximately 21 percent cited a razor as the most forgotten item, followed by 19 percent who said toothpaste. "Eight years ago, toothpaste probably would have been the most forgotten item, but as guests have learned to make the most of their cell phones as well as become more tech-savvy while traveling, it's no surprise that a cell phone charger has made its way to top of the list," said Nogal. "With the fast moving pace of technology, Hilton Garden Inn hotels strive to provide guests what they need to be most productive when on the road, that's why all guestrooms offer complimentary high-speed Internet access and secure remote printing service, and the Pavilion Pantry® where they can buy toothpaste and other forgotten toiletries that don't quite make it in the suitcase. Our "Ask the Traveler" survey will help us to find out more about the preferences of our travelers." Which Celebrity Would Guests Most Like to Tuck Them In? Hilton Garden Inn asked respondents which celebrity they would most like to tuck them in at night, and Brad Pitt was the winner with 28 percent of the vote. However, among Brad Pitt, Colin Farrell, Carmen Electra, Julia Roberts and Nicole Kidman, four percent of those surveyed added their spouse to the list. "We're always looking for feedback from our guests and it's no surprise that our business travelers who were surveyed added their own category wanting their spouse to tuck them in after a long day," says Nogal. What Do Guests Want to Drink? Read? Guests were asked what type of beverage they would like available in the room, and 10 percent of the survey respondents said a vodka tonic, while the leading answer was bottled water with 54 percent. Runner-ups included coffee and soda with 15 percent of the vote, and tea at four percent. As the preferred newspaper outside of a guest's door, USA Today won out with 42 percent of the vote, followed by the local paper at 27 percent, The Wall Street Journal at 11 percent and The New York Times at 10 percent. And, interestingly enough, Mad Magazine came in at 8 percent, indicating a business traveler's need for some light-hearted reading while on the road. How Do Guests Want to Be Woken Up? Although one respondent answered outside of the survey and requested to be woken up with chirping birds, 30 percent of those surveyed requested an automated wake-up call. Some 25 percent of respondents chose being awoken by an alarm clock, and 22 percent chose a personal wake-up call. And, almost 23 percent didn't want to be woken up at all. The Hilton Garden "Ask The Traveler" survey was administered at the Hilton Garden Inn LAX/El Segundo, in El Segundo, Calif., and the Hilton Garden Inn Valencia, in Valencia, Calif,. properties throughout the months of June and July 2004. Approximately 400 guests were asked to fill out the five-question survey to gauge the likes and dislikes of business travelers. Best Inns And Best Suites Becomes America's Best Inns & Suites ST. LOUIS (SLFP.com), October 3, 2004 - Best Inns and Best Suites, the national hotel chain has become "America's Best Inns & Suites" and will immediately start doing business as such, the company has announced. "We are excited about the opportunities the name change will afford the brand," said Mike Leven, president and CEO of US Franchise Systems, Inc. (USFS), parent company of the franchisor of the brand. "We look forward to expanding our customer and franchisee base as America's Best Inns & Suites." USFS received approval from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granting it ownership of the name, America's Best Inns & Suites, and certain variations consistent with a particular hotel's brand designation, such as "America's Best Inn" and "America's Best Suites." Over the next months, existing signage at properties around the nation will be changed, and subsequently, USFS will focus on marketing the new names. Signage indicating America's Best Inn is already visible at properties in Augusta and Bangor, Maine, and Portsmouth, N.H. America's Best Inns & Suites is a mid-priced hotel brand that offers single, double and suite accommodations, with free local phone calls, complimentary breakfast, cable television with one free premium movie channel or pay-per-view, and ESPN. Guests enjoy membership in 'America's Best Traveler' frequent guest loyalty program, and all hotels feature at least 10 percent of their rooms as EverGreen accommodations for health conscious, environmentally-sensitive guests. The brand was named the number-one hotel chain in the economy segment in this year's 'Business Travel News' 'Top U.S. Hotel Chain Survey of U.S. Corporate Travel Buyers' for the second time. Archived Hotel News: Hilton Family of Hotels Utilizes Unique OnQ(TM) Guest Recognition Technology Guests Find Better Deals on Hotel Web Sites Than Travel Sites Drury Inn & Suites-San Antonio North is Now Open Drury Hotels Offer the Explorer Pass Travel Industry Sees Increase in Summer Leisure Travel Parkway Hotel Opens in Central West End Sheraton Hotels to Launch Lo-Carb Lifestyle Service US Hospitality Expected to Benefit From Strong European and UK Traffic Drury Plaza Hotel Designated As An Official Site On Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail Traveler Concerns Create Large Drop in U.S. Lodging Occupancy The St. Louis Hotels Guide is owned and maintained by the Moore Design Group for the sole purpose of disseminating news and information about the Metropolitan Saint Louis area. Text or graphics may not be copied, rewritten or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission. For more information, contact editor@slfp.com All rights reserved world wide © 1997 - 2004 Moore Design Group.

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