Over 55 Hotels Worldwide Participating in 'The Giving Room' Preferred Hotel Group's...

Over 55 Hotels Worldwide Participating in 'The Giving Room' Preferred Hotel
Group's Second Annual GIFTTS Program
Involvement in Global Philanthropic Program Benefiting Local Charities Nearly
Triples from Previous Year; Available May 1 - August 31, 2008

CHICAGO, April 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Preferred Hotel Group, in cooperation
with participating member hotels and resorts, announced today that 58 member
hotels worldwide will participate in this year's "The Giving Room," more than
triple that from last year. From May 1 through August 31, for every night a
hotel's designated "Giving Room" is occupied, 10 percent of the selected room
or suite's revenue will be donated to the hotel's charity of choice. At the
conclusion of the program, donations will be matched by funds from the
Ueberroth Family Foundation.
"The Giving Room" is an outgrowth of Preferred Hotel Group's GIFTTS
program which stands for Great Initiatives for Today's (Tomorrow's) Society, a
recognition initiative launched in August 2006. Designed to acknowledge and
encourage socially responsible actions by member hotels and employees in the
areas of philanthropy, environment and community service (www.phggiftts.com),
GIFTTS applauds great ideas for effecting positive change at the local level.
"In honor of Preferred Hotel Group's 40th Anniversary, our goal for this
year's 'Giving Room' program was to enlist participation from at least 40
members worldwide," said John Ueberroth, Chairman and CEO, Preferred Hotel
Group. "Once again our members have risen to the occasion. We are humbled to
see the global dedication to philanthropic endeavors both by our members and
their guests."
In its inaugural year, "The Giving Room" raised nearly $20,000 in total
donations for charitable organizations in seven countries and generated nearly
$100,000 in room revenue for participating hotels. From India to Peru, the
United States to the Netherlands, the 2008 "Giving Room" program will provide
aide to communities in 18 countries around the globe. One hotel group in
particular, the Eden Hotel Group has committed all 16 of its hotels in the
Netherlands to the program.
"At the Eden Hotel Group, we always try act responsibly and in the best
interest of our guests, hotels, environment and our staff," said Frans
Wientjes, Director of Operations, Eden Hotel Group. "This initiative from
Preferred Hotel Group exactly matches our own objectives and social
responsibility goals. As a group we will support one charity -- The Hunger
Project. 'The Giving Room' enables us to achieve awareness as well as funds
for The Hunger Project. And the fact that the Ueberroth Family Foundation
doubles the outcome is just wonderful."
Members' charitable choices span the globe and include projects such as
Singapore's 'Community Chest' and 'Seva Mandir,' a volunteer organization in
Rajasthan, India that assists in the development of rural and tribal issues.
In the United States, charities such as the Clearwater Marine Aquarium of
Clearwater, Florida and the Susan B. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation are among
the designated beneficiaries.
"Preferred Hotel Group's 'The Giving Room' program is a really effective
way to give back to the community and we are honored to be participating by
supporting Camp Harbor View, a constructive and positive summer program for
600 of Boston's city teenagers," said David J. Colella, Vice President and
General Manager of the newly renovated Colonnade Hotel in Boston,
Massachusetts. "In addition to making a tangible difference within our
community, the program makes a positive impression on our guests and staff."
The following is the list of participating members by region and their
selected charities:
Asia Pacific
-- Devi Garh, Rajasthan, India Seva Mandir
-- Hotel Istana, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, National Cancer Society
-- Hotel Mulia Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia, Yayasan Pembinaan Anak Cacat
-- The Landmark Bangkok, Bangkok, Thailand, Red Cross Charity (Based in
Thailand)
-- The Metropolitan Hotel New Delhi, New Delhi, India, Charity Pending
-- Parkyard Hotel, Shanghai, China, The Shanghai Community Center
-- Royal Park Hotel, Tokyo, Japan, Institute of Greening Tokyo of Tokyo
Metropolitan
-- Royal Plaza on Scotts, Singapore, Community Chest
-- The Panglin Hotel Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China, Yu Panglin Society Welfare
Association

The Americas
-- Alden Houston, Houston, TX, USA UNICEF
-- The Beverly Heritage Hotel, Milpitas, CA, USA, Milpitas Fire Fighters
Toy Program
-- The Charles Hotel, Cambridge, MA, USA, The Guidance Center, Inc.
-- The Colonnade Hotel, Boston, MA, USA, Camp Harbor View
-- Delfines Hotel and Casino, Lima, Peru, Los Delfines Research Center
-- Ginn Reunion Resort, Reunion, Florida, USA, First Book
-- Hotel Sorrento, Seattle, WA, USA, The Swedish Foundation
-- Huntley Santa Monica Beach, Santa Monica, CA, USA, Cedars Sinai Board
of Governors Center for Cancer Research
-- The Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa, Houston, TX, USA, End Hunger Network
-- The Huntington Hotel & Nob Hill Spa, San Francisco, CA USA Raphael
House
-- Metropolitan Hotel Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, Toronto Hospital for
Sick Children
-- One Ocean Resort Hotel & Spa, Atlantic Beach, FL, USA, St. Jude
Children's Research
-- Peter Island Resort, B.V.I., Virgin Islands Search & Rescue (VISAR) and
Kids And The Sea (KATS)
-- Quinta Real Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes, Mexico, Fundacion Amparo
-- Quinta Real Guadalajara, Jalisco, Guadalajara, Mexico, Fundacion Amparo
-- Quinta Real Saltillo, Coahuila, Saltillo, Mexico, Fundacion Amparo
-- Quinta Real Acapulco, Guerrero, Acapulco, Mexico, Fundacion Amparo
-- Quinta Real Huatulco, Oaxaca, Huatulco, Mexico, Fundacion Amparo
-- Quinta Real Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Monterrey, Mexico, Fundacion Amparo
-- Quinta Real Villahermosa, Tabasco, Villahermosa, Fundacion Amparo
-- Quinta Real Zacatecas, Zacatecas Mexico, Fundacion Amparo
-- The Sandpearl Resort, Clearwater Beach, FL, USA, Clearwater Marine
Aquarium
-- SoHo Metropolitan, Toronto, ON, Canada, Toronto Hospital for Sick
Children
-- Topnotch Resort and Spa, Stowe, VT, USA, North Country Animal League of
Morrisville, VT
-- Waikiki Parc, Honolulu, HI, USA, Susan B. Komen Breast Cancer
Foundation

Europe, Middle East and Africa
-- Amsterdam American Hotel, Amsterdam, Netherlands, The Hunger Project
-- Dromoland Castle, County Clare, Ireland, Irish Cancer Society
-- Eden Amsterdam Centre Hotel, Amsterdam, Netherlands, The Hunger Project
-- Eden Hotel Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands, The Hunger Project
-- Eden Lancaster Hotel, Amsterdam, Netherlands, The Hunger Project
-- Eden Rembrandt Square Hotel, Amsterdam, Netherlands, The Hunger Project
-- Eden Babylon Hotel Den Haag, Netherlands, The Hunger Project
-- Eden Crown Hotel, Eindhoven, Netherlands, The Hunger Project
-- Eden Dish Hotel, Enschede, Netherlands, The Hunger Project
-- Eden Hotel de Broeierd, Enschede, Netherlands, The Hunger Project
-- Eden City Hotel, Groningen, Netherlands, The Hunger Project
-- Eden Star Hotel, Hengelo, Netherlands, The Hunger Project
-- Eden Oranje Hotel, Leeuwarden, Netherlands, The Hunger Project
-- Eden Hotel La Bergere, Maastricht, Netherlands, The Hunger Project
-- Eden Savoy Hotel, Rotterdam, Netherlands, The Hunger Project
-- Eden Hotel Zutphen, Zutphen, Netherlands, The Hunger Project
-- Eden Hotel Emmen, Emmen, Netherlands, The Hunger Project
-- Hotel Majestic, Barcelona, Spain, Intermon Oxfam
-- Hotel Montalembert, Paris, France, Orphelinat d'Afrique
-- Hotel Murmuri Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain, Intermon Oxfam
-- Hotel Plaza Opera, Palermo, Italy, Association for Cancer Research
-- Hotel Wellington, Madrid, Spain, Spanish Association Against Cancer
-- myhotel Bloomsbury, London, England, UK, Leukemia Research UK
-- myhotel Chelsea, London, England, UK, Leukemia Research UK

For more information on participating hotels or to book "The Giving Room",
guests may visit www.phggiftts.com or call 1.866.990.9491.
About Preferred Hotel Group(TM)
Celebrating 40 years of excellence, Preferred Hotel Group is proud to be a
global leader in the hospitality industry, delivering high-performance sales,
marketing and technology solutions to more than 600 independent hotels and
resorts in over 65 countries. Its family of brands represents a collection of
the finest hotels in the world and include: Preferred Hotels(R) & Resorts
(www.preferredhotels.com), Preferred Boutique(TM) (www.preferredboutique.com),
Summit Hotels & Resorts(TM) (www.summithotels.com), Sterling Hotels(TM)
(www.sterlinghotels.com) and Historic Hotels of America(R)
(www.historichotels.org). For more information please visit
www.preferredhotelgroup.com.
In Fall 2007, the company entered the luxury real estate market with the
launch of Preferred Residences(TM) - a membership and exchange program for
luxury shared ownership resorts that provide an exceptional level of service
and amenities. Properties are held to exacting standards derived from the same
Preferred Global Standards of Excellence(TM) on which the company has built
its 40-year heritage in the hospitality industry. For more information please
visit www.preferredresidences.com.
For high resolution imagery of our properties, please visit the Preferred
Hotel Group Image Library at www.preferredhotelgroup.com/press.htm.
SOURCE Preferred Hotel Group

N. AMERICA: Nichole DiBenedetto of Middleton & Gendron, Inc., +1-212-980-9231,
or Fax: +1-212-759-6521, ndibenedetto@mg-pr.com, for Preferred Hotel Group;
EMEA: Nicola Parker of Lucre Communications, +44(0)20-8332-9690,
preferredhotels@lucrecommunications.com, for Preferred Hotel Group