Wilson school's 'consummate' chef served Khrushchev, impressed Trump. (free registration required to view link).

Memphis Grizzlies House celebrates first birthday.

Holiday Inn University of Memphis' Chef Edward Nowakowski prepares exotic dishes for Annual Opera Memphis Wild Game Dinner (free registration required to view link).

Kemmons Wilson School of Hospitality and Resort Management is winning over students (free registration required to view link).

BusinessWeek profiles Kemmons Wilson as part of its "Greatest Innovators of the Past 75 Years" series.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For More Information
Contact Mark Plebanski
at 407-995-9000

HAMPTON INN AND SUITES LAKE MARY AT COLONIAL TOWNPARK GETS NEW GENERAL MANAGER

LAKE MARY, FL, OCTOBER 4, 2004...Wilson Hotel Management Company, Inc. today announced that Mark Plebanski has been selected as General Manager of the Hampton Inn and Suites Lake Mary at Colonial TownPark.

As General Manager, Plebanski will direct all areas of the hotel's operations, including hotel administration, sales and marketing efforts, and guest services.

Plebanski brings over 15 year's experience in the hospitality industry and most recently held the position of General Manager for the Homewood Suites - Lake Mary, FL.

"Mark has extensive hotel management background and brings years of experience with him. He has the skills and knowledge to take the Hampton Inn and Suites Lake Mary at Colonial TownPark to the Hampton Brand award-winning level," said Wilson Hotel Management Co., Inc.'s Executive Vice President, Jim O'Brien.

The Hampton Inn and Suites Lake Mary at Colonial TownPark is a state-of-the-art Hampton Inn and Suites with 86 guest rooms and 45 suites designed for the business traveler. Amenities include in-room high-speed internet service, voicemail and speakerphone, advanced cable TV system, outdoor pool and whirlpool, laundry/valet service, 24-hour "Suite Shop," fitness facility, fax and photocopy services, meeting facilities and more. It is conveniently located in the Colonial TownPark mixed-use complex, offering easy access to all that Central Florida has to offer.

The hotel is proudly managed by Wilson Hotel Management Co., Inc., a division of the Kemmons Wilson Companies, based in Memphis, TN (901)346-8800.

The WHMC-managed Memphis Grizzlies House is now open! The Grizzlies House is an extraordinary 100-room short-stay facility located on the campus of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital! Read all about it via these links:

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Memphis Business Journal (free registration required to view link)
Memphis Grizzlies NBA Team
Memphis Commercial Appeal (free registration required to view link)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For More Information
Contact Jim O'Brien
at (901) 346-8800

WILSON HOTEL MANAGEMENT CO., INC. OPENS NEW HAMPTON INN & SUITES HOTEL AT COLONIAL TOWNPARK IN LAKE MARY, FL

Lake Mary, FL, October 16, 2003...Lake Mary Hotel Associates, LLC today announced the official opening if its new 131-room Hampton Inn & Suites hotel located in Colonial TownPark at 850 Village Oak Lane in Lake Mary, FL. Lake Mary's new Hampton Inn & Suites hotel combines 86 traditional guest rooms with 45 larger, more spacious studio suite rooms.

"The new Hampton Inn & Suites Lake Mary at Colonial TownPark is an exciting addition to the Lake Mary market," said Jim O'Brien, executive vice president of Wilson Hotel Management Co., Inc., the firm responsible for day-to-day management of the new property. "With the full complement of guest services and amenities that Hampton Inn & Suites offers, we expect this hotel to become a preferred choice in lodging for business and leisure travelers to the area."

The hotel is located in Lake Mary's Colonial TownPark a Colonial Properties Trust (National Developer of the Year 2003) development which will be anchored by the Stadium Seating Amstar 12 Movie Theater, Albertson's Grocery Store, Blackfin Grill, Dexter’s Restaurant, Amura Japanese Steakhouse, and Crisper’s Restaurant among other upscale retail shops and corporate developments.

The hotel chain features many value-added services and amenities for consumers, including a free breakfast bar, free local telephone calls, no surcharge for long-distance access when using a calling card, a free in-room movie channel, an in-room coffee maker, iron and ironing board, free accommodations for children 18 years old and younger when sharing a room with their parents, and 75% of guest rooms designated as non-smoking. In addition, all rooms have a refrigerator and microwave oven. All Hampton Inn & Suites also offer an on-site convenience shop and coin-laundry facility.

The hotel also features a heated outdoor pool and whirlpool, two meeting rooms accommodating two to seventy people, in-room high speed internet access and an advanced cable TV system with 67 channels, including HBO. In addition, Hampton Inn & Suites' unconditional 100% Satisfaction Guarantee promises complete satisfaction to each guest, or their night's stay is free.

Members of the Hilton HHonors® guest reward program can earn HHonors points in addition to airline miles for every qualifying stay at the Hampton Inn & Suites Lake Mary at Colonial TownPark. HHonors is the only hotel program that allows any of its members to reap Double Dip® earnings by simultaneously accumulating both hotel points and airline miles with each qualifying stay. To make reservations or request information about the Hampton Inn & Suites Lake Mary at Colonial TownPark, travelers may call the chain's national toll-free number, 1-800-HAMPTON (1-800-426-7866), or access the Hampton Inn & Suites Web site at www.hamptoninn-suites.com.

Hampton Inn & Suites is part of Hilton Hotels Corporation, recognized internationally as a preeminent hospitality company. The company develops, owns, manages or franchises approximately 2000 hotels, resorts and vacation ownership properties. Its portfolio includes many of the world's best-known and most highly regarded hotel brands, including Hilton®, Conrad™, Doubletree®, Embassy Suites Hotels®, Hampton Inn®, Hampton Inn & Suites®, Hilton Garden Inn®, Hilton Grand Vacations Company®, and Homewood Suites® by Hilton.

The Hampton Inn & Suites Lake Mary at Colonial TownPark is proudly managed by Wilson Hotel Management Co., Inc. (WHMC) based in Memphis, TN. WHMC is a division of the Kemmons Wilson Companies, an enduring legacy of Kemmons Wilson, the founder of Holiday Inns, Inc., and the man recognized as having created the modern day hospitality industry. The firm manages a wide variety of hotel properties located in the southern United States.

Tephane Rainey, 22, is the first recipient of a scholarship funded by InterContinental Hotels Group through its partnership with the University of Memphis Kemmons Wilson School of Hospitality and Resort Management.

Fortune Small Business recognizes Kemmons Wilson's Entrepreneurial spirit in a recent article, The Great American Company.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For More Information
Contact Jonathan Williams
at 731-668-6000

HOLIDAY INN JACKSON, TN WINS QUALITY EXCELLENCE AWARD

The Holiday Inn Jackson, TN has won the Six Continents Hotels 2002 Quality Excellence Award, given only to hotels achieving distinction in all aspects of their operations.

The Holiday Inn Jackson, TN is one of 260 properties selected from the company's more than 3,300 hotels in recognition of overall quality excellence. In order to receive the award, the hotel had to achieve a high score in the 12-Month Overall Satisfaction Index (OSI), a system designed for guests to evaluate Holiday Inns and their performance, including product quality and guest service.

The hotel was honored during special ceremonies at the annual Six Continents Hotels 2002 Global Investors and General Managers Conferences in San Diego, CA.

"The Quality Excellence Award is presented to hotels that demonstrate the highest standards in product quality, hotel operation and guest satisfaction as recognized by the people who know us best our guests," said Richard North, CEO of Six Continents Hotels. "It is my privilege to honor the Holiday Inn Jackson, TN for this outstanding achievement.

USA Today recognizes Kemmons Wilson and the 50th anniversary of Holiday Inns.

Mr. Wilson honored at the 23rd annual University of Memphis Distinguished Alumni Awards.

U of M hotel school poised for first test: Easter Brunch (free registration required to view link).

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For More Information
Contact Mike Collier
at (731) 668-6000

HOLIDAY INN JACKSON, TN I-40 RECEIVES PINNACLE AWARD

Jackson, TN...Holiday Inn Jackson, TN I-40 was recently awarded the Pinnacle Award by the Business Services Council of the Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce.

The award recognizes businesses which have risen to the pinnacle of business leadership among local Jackson, TN companies.

Managed by Michael Collier, and owned by K.W. Development Company, Inc., Holiday Inn Jackson, TN I-40 opened in June of 1990. The hotel offers a variety of services including a restaurant and lounge, banquet facilities, a fitness center and an indoor heated pool.

The rooms consist of singles, doubles and suites with microwaves, refrigerators, coffeepots and iron and ironing boards. “Our key goal and our philosophy,” says Collier, “is to consistently meet and exceed our customers’ and employees’ expectations, while providing a quality product that we can be proud of, and to make a profit at the same time.”

The hotel strives to provide employees that are of the highest standards, the best possible work environment and to grow.

Holiday Inn Jackson I-40 is operated by Memphis, TN, based Wilson Hotel Management Company, Inc. (901-346-8800).

Who better to write about customer service than the man who literally defined the concept? Kemmons Wilson shares his ideas about customer service and why he wanted to establish training for the hospitality industry at The University of Memphis in his recent article, "How to Make Your Guests Happy" in "Business Perspectives," (Summer Edition), a publication of the University of Memphis' Bureau of Business and Economic Research. Also see the related article, "Customer Service and The Wilson School of Hospitality and Resort Management" in the same issue.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For More Information
Contact Jim O’Brien
at 901-346-8800

WHMC CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS TO GIVE KIDS THE WORLD TOP $215,000

Memphis, TN, May 29, 2001...Wilson Hotel Management Company, Inc. (WHMC) today announced that it has again made a large contribution to Give Kids The World, the company’s favorite charity.

Give Kids The World is a 51-acre resort for children with life-threatening illnesses who wish to visit Walt Disney World and other Central Florida attractions.

WHMC’s support of and involvement with Give Kids The World reaches back more than a decade, and the recent contribution, made officially during WHMC’s annual General Manager’s Conference in April, adds $12,000 to WHMC’s contributions to Give Kids The World.

According to WHMC Executive Vice President, Jim O’Brien, the company’s total contributions to Give Kids The World exceed $215,000. “We all take our support of Give Kids The World very seriously, and we’re happy to participate in such a worthy cause,” said O’Brien. “And there’s more to come from each and every one of us!”

Dreams come true for children with life-threatening illnesses at Give Kids The World Village in Kissimmee, Florida. The resort serves as a unique retreat for children who have expressed the special wish to visit Walt Disney World and other Central Florida attractions. WHMC has joined the hundreds of corporations, organizations and individuals who’ve come together to create magical moments for children and families that will last a lifetime.

WHMC is a division of the Kemmons Wilson Companies. WHMC operates 15 hotels of various brands in the Southern United States.

Read all about our first General Manager's Meeting of the new millennium in this special PDF edition of our Spotlight Newsletter! (1.8MB download, requires Acrobat Reader 4.0 or higher to view/print.)

Kemmons Wilson Companies (WHMC's Parent Company) is one of the largest private businesses in Memphis, TN and was recently highlighted in the Memphis Business Journal's "Top 100 Private Companies."