Dolce Wins Management Contract for Seaview, a Historic Resort and Conference Center Near Atlantic City

MONTVALE, NJ--(Marketwire - April 28, 2009) - Dolce Hotels and Resorts today announced it has been awarded the management contract for Seaview, a 297-room historic hotel, conference center and golf resort near Atlantic City that has been managed by Marriott International since 1984.

Troon Golf has been retained to manage Seaview's two 18-hole championship golf courses, the links-style Bay Course, designed by Hugh Wilson and Donald Ross, and the 80-year-old Pines Course, designed by Howard Toomey and William Flynn.

The 300-acre Seaview complex in Galloway, N.J. -- one of 31 upscale and luxury full-service hotels and resorts owned by LaSalle Hotel Properties, a publicly traded real estate investment trust based in Bethesda, Md. -- will transition from Marriott management on May 8.

Steven A. Rudnitsky, Dolce president and chief executive officer, said the addition of Seaview will "round out the Dolce portfolio with our first golf and incentive meetings destination in the Eastern United States."

Dolce immediately will begin implementing programs to drive revenue and increase profitability by integrating Seaview's sales efforts with Dolce's infrastructure of 40 sales representatives in the Northeast.

"Our objective is to improve revenue per occupied room and total property revenue by leveraging our strong presence in the corporate meetings business," Rudnitsky said. "We surveyed our existing meetings customers, who said they definitely would be interested in holding future meetings at Seaview."

Rudnitsky said Troon Golf will add its branded golf experience to Seaview's courses and offer Troon Rewards, "the best loyalty program in golf," for Seaview's golfing guests. "Seaview always had two courses rich in history, and now it will have a great golf operator," he said. "Troon will reawaken Seaview golf and help us promote the facility as a premier golf destination."

Hud Hinton, Troon Golf president and chief operating officer, said his company will bring to Seaview its reputation for maintaining "pristine golf course conditions, personalized member and guest experiences and world-class retail offerings."

"Our goal is to create extraordinary guest and member experiences through personalized service, consistency and uncompromising attention to detail," he said. "We want to exceed our guests' expectations every time."

Jon Bortz, LaSalle Hotel Properties chairman and chief executive officer, said the selection of Dolce and Troon to manage Seaview's hotel, meeting and golf facilities is consistent with his company's objective of establishing "strategic partnerships with premier operators that have a commitment to quality and maximizing long-term asset value."

Seaview opened as an exclusive country club in 1912. It features a fitness center, indoor and outdoor swimming, whirlpool, tennis, volleyball and children's activities. Nearby recreation includes horseback riding, jet-skiing, water-skiing and sailing.

Seaview golf was honored this year by Golfweek magazine as one of the "Best Courses You Can Play" in New Jersey and by Golf World magazine, which presented it with a 2009 Readers' Choice Award. In 1942, the then-Seaview Country Club hosted the PGA Championship where Sam Snead achieved his first major victory, defeating Jim Turnesa.

The Bay Course underwent renovations in 1998 and 2006 designed to restore the course to its original design and add thick rough and pot bunkers around the greens. The Pines Course, which opened as a nine-hole course in 1929, was expanded to 18 holes in 1957 in a design by William Gordon.

The smoke-free facility's main dining room offers a panoramic view of the Bay Course and a selection of fresh gourmet cuisine. The Grille Room, built with bricks from the farmhouse that originally occupied the property, serves pub-style American fare. The lobby lounge hosts small meetings and cocktails indoors and on an outdoor terrace.

Seaview's 26 meeting rooms and 16 breakout rooms encompass 27,000 square feet of space including a 6,634-square-foot ballroom that can accommodate seating for groups as large as 500. All meeting rooms are wired for high-speed Internet access, and public areas provide both wired and wireless Internet service.

Each of the guest rooms and suites are newly renovated and offer luxurious bedding with down comforters, custom duvets, cotton rich linens and down feather pillows and foam pillows; pull-out sofa bed, high-speed wired Internet service; in-room movies and premium television channels; coffee and tea service; iron and ironing board; hair dryer; and speakerphones with voice-mail service, among other amenities.

Hotel services include a concierge; room service; valet parking and complimentary self parking; complete business center with secretarial service, overnight package delivery and pickup; babysitting; limousines for hire; and valet dry-cleaning, among others.

Seaview is 10 miles west of Atlantic City, 60 miles east of Philadelphia, 90 miles south of Newark, N.J. Atlantic City is served by New Jersey Transit and several airlines.

Dolce Hotels and Resorts, formerly Dolce International, provides exceptional meeting environments at its 24 hotels and resorts in the United States, Canada and Europe by providing superior cuisine and amenities, state-of-the-art technology and a community of passionate, intuitive employees.

Dolce facilities comply with standards set by the International Association of Conference Centers and are rated by AAA, Mobil, Michelin and Meeting Professionals International. Select Dolce hotels and resorts offer spas, championship golf courses and workout facilities.

Founded in 1981 by Andy Dolce, the company is headquartered in Montvale, N.J., and Paris. Dolce Hotels and Resorts is majority owned by Broadreach Capital Partners and employs approximately 4,000 worldwide. Additional information is available at www.dolce.com.

LaSalle Hotel Properties is a leading real estate investment trust that owns 31 upscale and luxury full-service hotels and resorts totaling approximately 8,500 guest rooms in 14 markets in 11 states and the District of Columbia. The company focuses on investing in upscale and luxury full-service hotels located in urban, resort and convention markets. It seeks to increase shareholder value through strategic investments, aggressive asset management and partnering with premier hotel operating companies. Additional information is available at www.lasallehotels.com.

Troon Golf, headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., is one of the world's largest golf management companies, overseeing operations in 31 states and 26 countries. Thirty-eight Troon Golf facilities enjoy top 100 rankings. Additional information is available at www.troongolf.com.

Contact Information: CONTACT: Rich Roberts (717) 685-4142