ATLANTA, Dec. 22 / Bass Hotels & Resorts recently announced that the new eight-story 163 Suite Cleveland Clinic Inter-Continental Suite Hotel quietly opened for its first guests on November 22, 1999. The hotel is the first of two properties to be built on the campus of the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

The Cleveland Clinic Inter-Continental Suite Hotel is the first partnership between a global hotel company and a hospital in the industry and will likely serve as a prototype for other Inter-Continental properties throughout the world.

The newly constructed all-suite hotel, located on Euclid Avenue between 88th Street and 89th Street is designed to accommodate extended stay patients of the Clinic and their families. Inter-Continental's long experience as a leader in global hospitality fits especially well with the needs of the Clinic, which treats patients from all 50 states and more than 100 other countries. U.S. News and World Report has consistently ranked the Cleveland Clinic as one of the nation's top ten hospitals since 1990 and the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center first in cardiac care for five consecutive years.

Each of the one and two-bedroom guest suites will offer separate bedroom/ living room areas, dining area with galley kitchen, multiple phone lines, high-speed modem lines and bathrooms with separate dressing areas. The club floor also features two larger suites, one a luxury suite with foyer, two bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, a dining room, pantry and living room complete with spectacular views of the downtown Cleveland skyline.

In addition, a unique shopping service will be available to guests of the hotel. After the guest completes his morning order, a personal grocer will go to the store and have everything requested stocked in the refrigerator for the guest's evening pleasure.

The ground floor features a striking two-story lobby with a beautifully appointed lounge, cocktail bar and artfully decorated Citrus Restaurant specializing in contemporary Mediterranean cuisine. A year-round, sun-filled solarium, The Winter Garden, overlooks a private landscaped courtyard for al fresco dining. The kitchen is headed by Chef Oberschneider and Executive Sous Chef Christophe Marquant from Inter-Continental properties in Chicago and Los Angeles.

Lewis N. Fader, General Manager of the hotel comes to Cleveland from Inter-Continental's Los Angeles property. "I am very excited to be a part of this new partnership between The Cleveland Clinic Foundation and Bass Hotels & Resorts," Fader states. "One of the most exciting aspects of this new concept has been the ability to assemble a first-class staff literally from around the world."

They include: head of the Food and Beverage Department, Duncan Clements, last posted with Inter-Continental in the UAE, head of the Housekeeping Department, Lorna Stewart, last posted with Inter-Continental in Oman, Citrus Manager Sameh Nawar, last posted with Inter-Continental in Abu-Dhabi and Assistant Controller Alejandro Loaiza, last posted with Inter-Continental in Valencia, Venezuela. In all, the multi-cultural, 150 person staff is not only composed of many native Clevelanders, but collectively speaks approximately 20 languages and has roots in 25 countries.

"Inter-Continental will bring a unique brand of hospitality to the Cleveland area," comments Fader. "While the Suite Hotel will primarily provide services to Cleveland Clinic patients and their families, we are also looking forward to our next project which will be a larger world-class facility," he continues. The second Inter-Continental property, opening in late 2002 will be a luxury, 13-story, 300 guest room hotel and 35,000 square foot state-of-the-art conference center to be built on the sight of the former Omni International Hotel.

Note:

Bass Hotels & Resorts(SM), the hotel business of Bass PLC BAS of the United Kingdom, operates or franchises more than 2,700 hotels and 450,000 guest rooms in more than 90 countries and territories.

The following service marks are owned by Bass Hotels & Resorts Inc., its subsidiaries or affiliates: Holiday Inn®, Crowne Plaza®, Holiday Inn Express®, Holiday Inn Select®, Holiday Inn Garden Court(SM), Holiday Inn SunSpree® Resorts, Staybridge Suites(SM) by Holiday Inn, Holidex®, Holidome®, Priority Club® Worldwide, e.space®, Inter-Continental®, Forum®, Six Continents Club®, Corporate Rate Portfolio® and Global Partner Hotels and Resorts®.

Bass Hotels & Resorts offers online information and reservations capability on the following Web sites: www.holiday-inn.com for Holiday Inn hotels, for Holiday Inn Express hotels, www.crowneplaza.com for Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts, and www.interconti.com for Inter- Continental Hotels and Resorts, and www.staybridge.com for our newest brand, Staybridge Suites by Holiday Inn.