Members in the News

Marriott ExecuStay Poised for Housing Transition in Washington

Bethesda, MD – November 17, 2008 – With a new administration, Washington, DC is in the midst of a housing transition and Marriott ExecuStay is ready with nearly 500 corporate apartments throughout the Washington, DC metropolitan area.  A leader in corporate housing, Marriott ExecuStay has already begun assisting members of the transition teams with their temporary housing needs.   

Washington, DC is the largest corporate housing market in the country and with the administration change in the federal government, the demand is even greater.  Marriott ExecuStay works with over 50 apartment communities in the DC area and has an extensive network of housing resources.

“We offer a wide-range of fully furnished housing solutions for individuals and families,” says Young Hill, general manager for the Washington, DC market. “For anyone coming to Washington, we can provide accommodations from 30 days up to several years.  Another benefit we provide is the opportunity for our guests to get to know their neighborhood before making the decision to purchase a permanent residence.”

Marriott ExecuStay offers:

• 1, 2 and 3-bedroom furnished apartments – most located within walking distance of Metro
• Fully-accessorized kitchen and laundry facilities
• All basic utilities, cable TV & high-speed Internet arranged and included
• Elite Dreamer® bedding
• Housekeeping
• 24-hour customer service
• Gym and pool at most locations
• Pet friendly locations
• Rates within the federal lodging per diem
• Marriott Rewards® points

Just in time for the increased demand in Washington, DC Marriott ExecuStay announced in October its new Book Online Now reservations feature found on ExecuStay.com .  This convenient feature allows guests to reserve a fully furnished temporary apartment in the same manner they reserve their Marriott hotel rooms.  Marriott Rewards members can earn points on qualifying charges, when staying with Marriott ExecuStay.  And if guests Book Online Now by March 31, 2009, they will receive 2,500 bonus Marriott Rewards points.

For more information, please contact Jeff Flahert at (301) 380-6954 or jeff.flaherty@marriott.com

BridgeStreet Worldwide and Tadmur Sign Franchise Agreement for
Serviced Apartments in Doha, Qatar

HERNDON, VA - November 18, 2008 - BridgeStreet Worldwide, a leading international provider of serviced apartments, today announced it has signed its first franchise agreement with Tadmur Real Estate, W.L.L., in Doha, Qatar. Under the 10-year agreement, Tadmur Real Estate will operate four buildings with a total of 514 serviced apartments under the BridgeStreet brand.

As part of its strategic growth plan, BridgeStreet is offering a limited number of franchise agreements to companies outside the United States and Europe. “Franchisees will play an important part in expanding our global reach throughout emerging markets,” stated Lee Curtis, president and chief executive offer of BridgeStreet Worldwide.

“We are very excited to be teaming up with Tadmur Real Estate as our first, fully branded franchise partner,” adds Curtis. “Entering into the Doha market with such an esteemed organization compliments our recent venture in Dubai and firmly ingrains the BridgeStreet brand within the region.”

Economic prosperity abounds due to Doha's position as a leader in the oil and natural gas industries and the Qatari government's focus on diversification. The city is undergoing a large boom with a high influx of residents, the majority being expatriates, resulting in a housing shortage. Serviced apartments are vital to service the needs of those seeking both short-term and long-term accommodation options.

Tadmur Real Estate, a subsidiary of Tadmur Holdings, is a leading management and development company in the Middle East. “The need for serviced apartments in Doha has grown rapidly in the past few years,” comments Mahmoud Noureldin, general manager of Tadmur Real Estate. “We were seeking to partner with a well established brand to launch into this hospitality segment. BridgeStreet's strength in the marketplace, their expansive client base as well as their expertise as serviced apartment operators made them the perfect choice.”

The first two buildings, comprising 127 one- and two-bedroom apartments, are scheduled to open in April 2009. A third building at Doha's hub – Al Najma - will quickly follow with an additional 63 apartments. The final development project, Aayan Tower, is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2010, providing 324 apartments in the West Bay district. These luxury buildings will combine top of the line design features and finishes with state-of-the-art amenities and services to meet the demands of today discerning business travelers.

“BridgeStreet has a solid record of managing purpose-built serviced apartment buildings for investors and owners that produce profitable returns year after year,” adds Max Thorne, BridgeStreet Worldwide's vice president of development EMEA. “Through this franchise agreement, Tadmur Real Estate can capitalize on our knowledge and implement a successful model for their properties. We look forward to offering this exciting new program to growing enterprises throughout the Middle East, Asia and India.”

For more information, please contact Kelly Murphy at (813) 909 2445 or kelly.murphy@bridgestreet.com.

National Corporate Housing Gives Back This Holiday Season
National Corporate Housing is giving back this holiday season. National is kicking off their "Adopt a Family" program this week in all of their regional offices.

HERNDON, VA – November 25, 2008 – National Corporate Housing is giving back this holiday season. Every National Corporate Housing branch office will “Adopt a Family” in need this holiday. The program, which is designed to provide food and gifts to needy families, is just one way that National plans to help others during these difficult economic times.

Tom Atchison, President of National Corporate Housing, encourages and supports his team to find ways to give back to the community. “In 1999 when we started National, one of the most important beliefs was to foster a “charitable mindset”. We believe in giving of ourselves for the betterment of the communities within which we live and work”.

Each National office will adopt a family in need in their local markets, hand select gifts that best match the needs of each family member, wrap the gifts and deliver the gifts and a holiday meal to the families during the week of December 21st, 2008. Given the company’s charitable attitude, each team member gets involved and takes pride in helping those less fortunate.

In addition to the holiday “Adopt a Family” initiative, National Corporate Housing employees give both time and resources throughout the year to such additional causes as The Ronald McDonald House, Kids in Distress, Race for a Cure, AIDS Walk, local food drives and the Toys for Tots campaign.

National Corporate Housing, headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, provides fully furnished and accessorized apartments for stays of 30 days or longer throughout the United States for leisure travelers, relocations or temporary assignments.

For additional information on National Corporate Housing or the services they provide, visit the website at http://www.nationalcorporatehousing.com or call 888-916-9520.

If you would like to share news and other events in the corporate housing community, please forward that information to Amanda Cook, CHPA Director of Membership and Marketing, at acook@chpaonline.org.