Source: Morgans

NEW YORK – Morgans Hotel Group Co. (NASDAQ: MHGC) today announced the launch of its exclusive Recess Sessions on . “Morgans has always been about escaping, whether that means getting away from the world around you or getting more into yourself and who you want to be,” said Scott Williams, Morgans’ Chief Marketing Officer. “That escape – and the immersion into the world of Morgans – is at the core of Recess Sessions - and at the core of our web strategy. Musicians and filmmakers who come together in Morgans to create while experiencing recess.”

is one of Morgan's two proprietary web sites. The company recently re-launched its site, which offers consumers an entirely new and unique experience. A popular feature of the new site includes interviews and photos of the innovative architects and designers - Marcel Wanders, BNO, Shepard Fairey - that have collaborated with Morgans.

"Creative collaboration is at the core of who we are and who our guests are. We're doing that with the next generation of great creative collaborators now. The artists we feature in recess sessions embody the bold, cutting edge character that defines our brands and demonstrates that Morgans remains as vital and relevant as ever."

A bold and provocative continuation of Morgans’ innovative “FTR”/RecessIsOn campaign, the Recess Sessions are a series of eight original music videos shot in cinéma vérité style. Each video is set in the rich environments of Morgans’ hotels and includes three separate segments with a musical performance, interview and footage of the artists playing on property. All of the content is intimately shot, previously unreleased and available through www.recessison.com.

In keeping with their philosophy of defiance against the recession, Morgans’ Recess Sessions celebrate the idea that you never know what is going on behind closed doors at Morgans’ hotels and gives their guests permission to explore and to play again. With authentic performances from cutting-edge artists including Miho Hatori at Morgans, Au Revoir Simone at Hudson, Miss Derringer at Mondrian in Los Angeles and Curumin at Royalton – filmed by independent directors Vincent Moon and Mark Wilkinson, the Recess Sessions further Morgans’ unique history of collaborating with innovators in an effort to create rich experiences for their guests.

About Morgans Hotel Group

Morgans Hotel Group Co. (NASDAQ: MHGC) operates and owns, or has an ownership interest in, Morgans, Royalton and Hudson in New York, Delano and Shore Club in Miami, Mondrian in Los Angeles, Mondrian in Scottsdale and Mondrian in South Beach, Clift in San Francisco, and Sanderson and St Martins Lane in London. Morgans Hotel Group and an equity partner also own the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas and related assets. Morgans Hotel Group has other property transactions in various stages of completion, including projects in SoHo, New York; Las Vegas, Nevada; Palm Springs, California; Boston, Massachusetts; and Dubai, UAE. For more information please visit .

Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements

Statements contained in this press release which are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as the term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "expects," "plans," "estimates," "projects," "intends," "believes," "guidance," and similar expressions that do not relate to historical matters. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties which can cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated, due to a number of factors which include, but are not limited to, downturns in economic and market conditions, particularly levels of spending in the business, travel and leisure industries; hostilities, including future terrorist attacks, or fear of hostilities that affect travel; risks related to natural disasters, such as earthquakes and hurricanes; risks associated with the acquisition, development and integration of new properties; the seasonal nature of the hospitality business; changes in the tastes of our customers; increases in real property tax rates; increases in interest rates and operating costs; the impact of any material litigation; the loss of key members of senior management; general volatility of the capital markets and our ability to access the capital markets; and changes in the competitive environment in our industry and the markets where we invest, and other risk factors discussed in Morgans Hotel Group's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008 and other documents filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. All forward-looking statements in this press release are made as of today, based upon information known to management as of the date hereof, and the Company assumes no obligations to update or revise any of its forward-looking statements even if experience or future changes show that indicated results or events will not be realized.

Jennifer Foley
Public Relations Director
212.277.4166
Morgans