Construction underway on breathtaking JW Marriott Indianapolis

Groundbreaking Begins Development of Premier Convention Headquarters Complex

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – May 29, 2008 – White Lodging, Whiteco Industries and REI Real Estate Services today celebrated the groundbreaking of the $425 million JW Marriott Indianapolis development featuring 1,623 rooms in the heart of downtown Indianapolis.

With shovels in hand, Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard, White Lodging Chairman and CEO Bruce W. White, REI Real Estate Services President Michael W. Wells, along with community leaders gathered at the seven acre site near the White River State Park to break ground on the largest JW Marriott hotel in the U.S. based on the number of rooms.

The dynamic hotel development will include the city’s largest, full-service convention hotel. In addition to the JW Marriott Indianapolis featuring 1,005 rooms, the hotel property includes the Indianapolis Courtyard by Marriott Downtown (294 rooms), the Indianapolis Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Downtown (168 rooms), and the Indianapolis SpringHill Suites by Marriott Downtown (156 rooms).

“This is a signature hotel development for White Lodging. I am proud to be a part of shaping the downtown skyline on property our company has owned for more than 20 years,” said Bruce W. White, president and CEO of White Lodging.

The unique crescent moon design of the JW Marriott Indianapolis featuring a blue-tint glass curtain wall system will extend the city skyline to the West of downtown next to the White River State Park. With 34-floors and standing 375 feet tall, the JW Marriott Indianapolis tower will be the tallest hotel in Indianapolis. The more than 105,000 square feet of meeting space includes one of the world’s largest Marriott hotel ballrooms – an enormous Grand Ballroom totaling 40,000 square feet.

“This is one of the largest Marriott developments in the country,” said J.W. Marriott, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of Marriott International. “The commitment from Indianapolis leaders to grow the hospitality and tourism industry has created an environment for the JW brand to be the centerpiece of an unprecedented development that will serve countless guests and visitors in this vibrant downtown area.”

The four Marriott hotels will serve as an anchor for the Indianapolis convention and tourism industry which totals more than $3.25 billion a year. In addition, the JW Marriott Indianapolis development is critical to Indianapolis hosting the 2012 Super Bowl and future NCAA events.

Hunt Construction Group is leading the construction management team. Architects on the project include Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum (HOK) and CSO Architects.

The JW Marriott Indianapolis sales office, headed by Director of Sales and Marketing Cory Chambers, is actively booking advance group sales for this premier hotel development in the heart of downtown Indianapolis. For more information, contact Cory Chambers at: (317) 573-6534 or by e-mail at cory.chambers@whitelodging.com

March 2010 is the anticipated grand opening for the Indianapolis Courtyard by Marriott Downtown, Indianapolis Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Downtown, and Indianapolis Springhill Suites by Marriott Downtown, in addition to, the grand re-opening of the popular T.G.I. Friday’s restaurant. The JW Marriott Indianapolis grand opening is planned for March 2011.

ABOUT THE JW MARRIOTT INDIANAPOLIS DEVELOPMENT
The spectacular $425 million JW Marriott Indianapolis development will feature 1,623 rooms and include the JW Marriott Indianapolis, Indianapolis Courtyard by Marriott Downtown, Indianapolis Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Downtown, and the Indianapolis SpringHill Suites by Marriott Downtown. Once completed, the luxurious and spacious hotel complex will serve as the premier convention headquarters hotel in Indianapolis with more than 105,000 square feet of meeting, banquet and exhibit space and one of Marriott’s largest hotel ballrooms in the world totaling 40,000 square feet. This landmark hotel development will serve as an anchor for central Indiana’s convention and tourism industry. Located on a seven acre site overlooking the White River State Park, guests are steps away from a thriving downtown with numerous, exciting entertainment attractions. The grand opening for the Courtyard by Marriott, Fairfield Inn & Suites, SpringHill Suites, and the T.G.I. Friday’s is March 2010. The JW Marriott Indianapolis will open in March 2011.

ABOUT WHITE LODGING
Established in 1985 and headquartered in Merrillville, IN, White Lodging is a fully integrated developer, owner and manager of premium brand hotels – a recognized leader that consistently delivers superior leading brand hotel experiences and premium returns on investment among mid-to-large scale hotels across the country. With over 20 years of expertise and future development projects of $1.5 billion over the next three to five years, White Lodging continues to break ground as one of the fastest growing independent hospitality companies in the country. Their managed portfolio of 130 hotels in seventeen states encompasses representation of the following leading brands: Marriott; Residence Inn by Marriott, Courtyard by Marriott, Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott; SpringHill Suites by Marriott; Renaissance; Radisson Hotels; Intercontinental Hotel Group; Hilton Garden Inn, Homewood Suites and Starwood. For more information about White Lodging, visit http://www.whitelodging.com

ABOUT REI
Located in Carmel, IN, since 1995, REI Real Estate Services is a complete real estate services company that owns, builds, develops, leases and manages a portfolio of office, hotel and mixed use developments throughout the United States. REI owns over 1.5 million square feet of office space and operates more than 3 million square feet in the Indianapolis area alone. They have developed such high profile projects in downtown Indianapolis as Emmis Communications Headquarters, Anthem Operations Center and the Marriott Downtown Indianapolis. REI extends well beyond its hometown market with major office, mid-to large-scale hotels, and high-rise residential ownership holdings and developments underway in: Austin, TX; Phoenix, AZ; Louisville, KY; Salt Lake City, UT; Miramar, FL and internationally in Belize.

ABOUT HUNT CONSTRUCTION GROUP
Hunt Construction Group was established 1944 in Indianapolis, and is ranked by Engineering News-Record as one of the nation’s top commercial construction management / general contacting firms. Hunt is no stranger to hospitality construction. Throughout the state of Indiana alone, Hunt has completed four major hotels including the Conrad Hotel and Residential Tower and the Marriott Convention Center Hotel both in downtown Indianapolis. Hunt has also completed numerous Marriott hotels including JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Phoenix, AZ; Grande Lakes Resort & Spa (JW Marriott & Ritz-Carlton) in Orlando, FL; Marriott Downtown Hotel in Louisville, KY; Marriott Hotel, Marina & Convention Center in San Diego, CA; and the Marriott Hotel in Bridgewater, NJ. With over 55 hotel projects completed across the country, Hunt is proud to be ranked #2 by Engineering News-Record for Hotel & Convention Center construction.

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Contact:

Jeremy Stephenson
Director of Development
REI Real Estate Services
(317) 573-6050
jstephenson@reirealestate.com

Cory Chambers
Director of Sales and Marketing
JW Marriott Indianapolis
(317) 573-6534
cory.chambers@whitelodging.com

Roger Harvey
Vice President
Bose Public Affairs Group
(317) 684-5416
rharvey@bosepublicaffairs.com