BOSTON -- Sonesta International Hotels Corporation (Nasdaq-GL:SNSTA) announced year-end 2008 system-wide RevPAR (revenue per available room) for its U.S. hotels averaged over $128 and indexed at 104% against their competitive set of hotels according to Smith Travel Research.

In the United States, Sonesta manages hotels in Boston, Miami and New Orleans and their competitive set includes Ritz Carlton, Hyatt, Intercontinental, Marriott, Westin and Omni. In 2008, the Sonesta brand contribution averaged 45.5% of room’s revenue at these hotels.

“We are looking to aggressively expand the Sonesta brand, particularly in the U.S. and Caribbean,” said Philip Silberstein, executive vice president of development for Sonesta. “During this expansion period, we will continue to capitalize on our strong reputation for operating and branding unique, high quality hotels and resorts.”

For over 60 years, Sonesta has owned, managed, designed, built and marketed hotels throughout the world. There are presently 25 Sonesta hotels and resorts, including 5 Nile cruise ships. The properties are located in Boston, Miami, New Orleans, St. Maarten, Brasil, Peru, and Egypt. This year, new properties are planned to open in Jaco Beach, Costa Rica and Cusco, Peru. Sonesta's stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global stock market under the symbol SNSTA.

Lorie Juliano
Sonesta International Hotels Corporation
+1 617 421 5429
Sonesta