The historic, eight-story Clarion Prince Charles Hotel, originally built in the 1920s, is holding a grand opening and ribbon cutting at 450 Hay Street today at 4 p.m. The event will be attended by the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce, Mayor Marshall Pitts, Jr. and other local dignitaries.

Clarion, a brand of full-service hotels and resorts franchised by Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH), was named the top ranked midscale hotel brand with food and beverage services in the Market Metrix Hospitality Index (MMHI) for the first quarter of 2004.

�This beautiful historic hotel with its stylized architecture and customized hotel and room features is a perfect addition to the Clarion brand,� said Alexandra Jaritz, senior director, brand strategy for Clarion brand.�

The 101-unit Clarion Prince Charles Hotel, considered one of the finest Colonial Revival structures remaining in the Fayetteville area, has been meticulously restored with marble floors and staircases; brass railings, arched Palladian windows and doorways.

The Clarion Prince Charles Hotel has 43 rooms and 58 suites. Each guest room features custom period furniture, window treatments and lighting fixtures. The parlor of the standard two-room suite is furnished with a full-sized study desk, queen sleeper sofa, armoire, marble wet bar, refrigerator with ice-maker, cable TV, complimentary high-speed internet access and a speaker phone with two lines. The master bedroom is also equipped with cable TV and a two-line telephone. Two bedroom suites and oversized rooms are also available.

Hotel features of the Clarion Prince Charles Hotel include a 24-hour business center, fitness facility, the Bistro Caf� and lounge, and valet cleaning service. The Bistro Caf� offers breads, bagels and Danish pastry. There are five meeting rooms (13,000 square foot of space) which can accommodate up to 500 people.

Room rates start at $90. Guests of the Clarion Prince Charles Hotel receive in-room coffee service and a complimentary USA TODAY newspaper.

The Clarion Prince Charles Hotel is next door to the Cameo Theater and an Amtrak Train Station and a half a mile from the Fayetteville Convention Center. Pope Air Force Base and Fort Bragg Air Force Base are seven miles from the hotel. Also nearby are the Cape Fear Regional Theatre, Crown Coliseum Downtown and the Fayetteville Museum of Art.

For reservations at any Clarion brand hotel worldwide, contact Choice�s toll-free reservation service at (800)-4CHOICE or visit www.choicehotels.com on the Internet. Reservations also can be made by contacting the Clarion Prince Charles Hotel at (910) 433-4444.

Choice Hotels International is one of the world�s largest lodging franchisors, marketing more than 5,000 hotels open or under development in 45 countries and territories under the Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, MainStay Suites, Econo Lodge, and Rodeway Inn brand names. For more information on Choice, visit the company�s web site at www.choicehotels.com.

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Media Contact: Camila Clark +1 301-592-6381 camila_clark@choicehotels.com