Le Méridien Continues Expansion in Asia Pacific Announcing the Signing of Two New Hotels

(Taipei 101 (above) is believed to be the world's tallest office tower at 1,670.6 feet. The building has 106 floors--101 above ground, five under ground. The tower was completed in 2004 in the Hsin Yi business district of Taipei in Taiwan.)

Le Méridien Taipei Marks Entry Of Le Méridien Into Taiwan.

Le Méridien Xiamen Joins The Brand’s Growing Portfolio In China.

Growth Accelerates on the Heels of Three New Le Méridien Hotels in Thailand to Open This Fall.


WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Le Méridien continues its expansion in Asia Pacific, today announcing

plans to open two new properties, one in Taipei and one in Xiamen, China.

Le Méridien Taipei (top right photo) marks the brand’s first hotel in Taiwan and will open in early 2011 in Hsinyi, Taipei’s bustling central business district.

Le Méridien Xiamen, China (photo at left) will open in 2009 in Xianyue Hill, one of the city’s most exclusive neighborhoods. Operated by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT), both hotels will offer a European flair, and sophisticated, environment designed to appeal to the creative guest.

"We are thrilled to announce what will be two stunning Le Méridien hotels in Taipei and Xiamen, two of Asia Pacific’s most exhilarating destinations,” said Miguel Ko, (middle right photo) President of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Asia Pacific.

“A thriving center for international business, Taipei boasts a vibrant arts scene and a rich variety of cultural institutions, while Xiamen is the cultural and academic heart of Fujian Province. Both cities are a great fit with Le Méridien brand, which is committed to providing guests with an interactive and culturally enriching experience.”

“Le Méridien is delighted to invite guests to embark on a voyage of discovery in these two compelling cities in Asia Pacific, where we will provide a curated experience enhanced by an atmosphere of European refinement,” said Eva Ziegler, (middle left photo) Global Brand Leader, Le Méridien.

“Popular among progressive, forward-thinking international travelers, Le Méridien shares with its guests a passion for style, art, architecture, design, cuisine and fashion.”

Le Méridien currently operates 26 hotels in Asia Pacific, including Le Méridien She Shan, Le Royal Méridien Shanghai and Le Méridien Cyberport, Hong Kong.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts is partnering with My Humble House Hospitality Management Consulting Co., Ltd to introduce Le Méridien brand to the vibrant city of Taipei.

Le Méridien Taipei will offer an ideal location in Hsinyi, Taipei’s most modern, cosmopolitan district. The hotel will be close to the Taipei Convention Hall, the Taipei World Trade Center, Taipei City Hall and Taipei 101, (top photo) currently the world’s tallest building.

CONTACT:

Hwee Peng Yeo, Corporate Communications Manager, Asia Pacific, Phone: (65) 6335 4837. Fax: (65) 6335 4820. Email: mailto:hweepeng.yeo@starwoodhotels.com. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. http://www.starwoodhotels.com/ 1111 Westchester Ave. Phone: 914-640-8100. Fax: 914-696-1138.

GVA Advantis Negotiates New 17,763-SF Lease for Sungard AvantGard in Liberty Business Park, Jacksonville, FL

JACKSONVILLE, FL -– GVA Advantis is pleased to announce it has negotiated a new 17,763 square foot long-term lease for SunGard AvantGard, LLC in Liberty Business Park (top left photo) in Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida.

Senior Director Monte Merritt (top right photo) of GVA Advantis’ Jacksonville office exclusively represented the tenant, SunGard AvantGard, LLC. The landlord, Malvern, PA-based Liberty Property Trust, was represented by its senior leasing representative, Dan Santinga.
“SunGard AvantGard’s Jacksonville search criteria included not only the need for a central location, but one that would allow for internal expansion,” explains Merritt.

“After an exhaustive evaluation of potential sites, Liberty Business Park rose to the top as the best choice. Its convenient location in the Southpoint business district, just off I-95 and the J. Turner Butler Boulevard., and the size of the suite which allows room for growth, makes it the perfect fit for our client.”

The property is located at 4901 Belfort Road within Phase 3 of Liberty Business Park, situated between Belfort Road. and A.C. Skinner Parkway. Built in 1998, the single-story building is comprised of 78,930 square feet of office and industrial space and is located in the Southpoint business district within the Butler/Baymeadows submarket.

Headquartered in Calabasas, CA, SunGard AvantGard is a leading liquidity management solution that provides chief financial officers and treasurers in corporations, financial institutions and the public sector with real-time visibility into cash flows and increased operational controls around treasury, receivables and payments management (www.sungard.com/avantgard).

CONTACT:

Lisa Hyde, Director of Marketing, Advantis Real Estate Services Company, 3000 Bayport Drive, Suite 100 Tampa, Florida 33607. Tel 813.342.4752. Fax 813.342.4004
E-mail Lhyde@gvaadvantis.com
http://www.gvaadvantis.com/

HFF Arranges $13.53M Financing for Plano, TX Office Building

DALLAS, TX – The Dallas office of HFF (Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, L.P.) has arranged $13.53 million in financing for Pitman Atrium Tower, a 10-story office building in Plano, Texas.

Working exclusively on behalf of Frontier Equity, HFF associate director Travis Anderson and managing director Mark West (top right photo) placed the three-year, floating-rate loan with Wrightwood Capital for the acquisition of the property.

Frontier Equity is a division of Holt Lunsford Commercial, Inc. and offers a fully integrated range of services to institutional and private investors and has placed more than $1 billion in capital on behalf of its clients in the past 10 years.

Frontier Equity was represented by firm partners Doug Lueders and David Cartwright along with project manager Seth Parker.

Pitman Atrium Tower is located at 1255 West 15th Street, a half mile west of the North Central Expressway and across the street from the Collin Creek Regional Mall in Plano (top left photo).

The 183,393-square-foot property is currently 75% occupied, which leaves approximately 46,000 square feet available for lease. The borrower plans to aesthetically rebrand the building with cosmetic upgrades such as updated lighting, carports and tenant signage.

Holt Lunsford Commercial’s office leasing team will handle the remaining vacancy with Byron McCoy serving as leasing agent for the property.

CONTACTS:

Laurie Fish McDowell, HFF Associate Director, Marketing, One Post Office Square, Suite 3500, Boston, MA 02109. tel 617.338.0990. fax 617.338.2150. lmcdowell@hfflp.com

Travis Anderson, HFF Associate Director, 214 265 0880. tanderson@hfflp.com

Mark West, HFF Managing Director, 214 265 0880. mwest@hfflp.com

Web: http://www.hfflp.com/

Hilton Garden Inn Melville New York Set to Open First Week of August

Hotel Appoints Management Staff and Prepares for Guests

MELVILLE, N.Y, June 19, 2008 – Melville Equity Partners LLC is pleased to announce that the newly constructed Hilton Garden Inn Melville/ Plainview in New York will open for guests the first week of August 2008.

The Melville hotel will be offering special introductory rates to guests during the month of August.

The management staff has also been appointed: General Manager Edward Kalashian, Director of Sales Thomas Crosby, and Senior Sales Manager Laurie Troisi.

The hotel, centrally located off the Long Island Expressway at Exit 48/Round Swamp Road, is close to businesses, shopping and restaurants.

Neighboring cities include Huntington, Farmingdale, and Cold Spring Harbor. The hotel is also situated just a five minute drive from Bethpage State Park, (photo at left) which is the home of the 2009 U.S. Open. The Homewood Suites by Hilton Long Island-Melville (top right photo), the hotel’s sister property, is also adjacent.

“The Hilton Garden Inn Melville will introduce a new level of service and style that will appeal to both business and leisure travelers in this lively city,” said Paul Amoruso, Managing Partner of Melville Equity Partners LLC. “The hotel creates an environment that enables guests to stay connected whether they are doing business along the Route 110 corridor or playing a round of golf at Bethpage State Park.”

The Melville hotel, which incorporates complimentary high-speed Internet access in all guest rooms and public spaces, also includes 3,200 square feet of flexible meeting space.

Featuring an indoor pool, whirlpool, fitness center, and business center, the new property also boasts a Great American Grill® restaurant and a full-service bar on-site.

Additionally, the Pavilion Pantry® convenience mart offers sundries, an assortment of beverages and ready-to-cook meals bound for the in-room microwave oven or refrigerator.

Situated in the Long Island business district, the Hilton Garden Inn Melville is close to several corporations located in both Nassau and Suffolk counties.

The hotel offers complimentary shuttle service within a five mile radius to local companies.

Leisure travelers will enjoy a convenient central location for a wide variety of day trip activities including Manhattan, Adventureland Amusement Park, Dave and Buster's Entertainment Center, Jones Beach, Bethpage State Park, Atlantis Marine World, and Fire Island National Seashore.

The 178-room hotel features all of the comforts and features of home – including microwave, refrigerator, coffee maker, hair dryer, iron and ironing board, complimentary wireless internet access and an oversize work desk.

Only minutes from the Walt Whitman shopping mall, the Melville hotel is also only a short drive from the Hamptons and Long Island wineries. For more information, visit the hotel at http://www.melville.hgi.com/.
Contacts:

Edward Kalashian, General Manager - Hilton Garden Inn Melville, (516)755-5552 Edward.Kalashian@hilton.com

Julie Tullbane, Daly Gray Public Relations, T 703-435-6293. F 703-435-6297
julie@dalygray.com

SchenkelShultz Designs Duval County Public Schools' New $73.5M, 263,937-SF High School "AAA" in Jacksonville, FL

JACKSONVILLE, FL – SchenkelShultz Architecture, located in World Golf Village and one of Florida’s leading green designers, designed Duval County Public Schools’ new $73.5 million, 263,937-square-foot High School “AAA” (top right rendering) in Jacksonville, FL.

The 2,117-student facility is the first new high school in Duval County in 20 years.

Designed in a “low country” architectural style to blend with the surrounding North Florida communities, the school includes 12 “small scale learning communities” and incorporates high performance design elements such as clerestory lighting and automatic light-level sensitive classroom lamp controls.

Other design elements include a secured central courtyard that can be used for outdoor dining, a decentralized media center and administration, high-tech academies with college-level science labs and secure after-hours public access to the auditorium and gymnasium.

W.G. Mills, Inc., Jacksonville, FL, serves as the Design/Build lead for the school which is slated for occupancy in August 2010. The Northeast Florida office of SchenkelShultz is located at 101 E. Town Place, Suite 800, St. Augustine, FL, phone 904-940-7272.

CONTACT:

Kenneth H. Cristol, President, Cristol Marketing Company, 237 Hunt Club Blvd., Suite 102, Longwood, FL 32779 USA. PH 407-774-2515. FX 407-774-6647. Strategic Marketing, Brand Management, Publicity and Advertising, and Corporate Communications

khc@crismktg.com http://www.crismktg.com/

Fortress Construction Group Awarded $1M Contract to Renovate Golf Clubhouse at Alaqua Lakes

LONGWOOD, FL--- Fortress Construction has started work on a $1 million renovation of The Legacy Club at Alaqua Lakes luxury community in Longwood, north of Orlando.

Charles Ayers, (top right photo) president of the construction company and former project manager at Alaqua Lakes, said the work will include expanding the dining room, a new ladies locker room, ladies social area and state-of-the-art meeting spaces. (Clubhouse interior photo at left)

The new improvements, estimated for completion in September, will complement recently finished renovations of the men’s locker room and golf shop at The Legacy Club, said Ayers.

For more information, please contact:
Charles Ayers, Fortress Construction Group, Inc., 407-829-2689
Larry Vershel, Larry Vershel Communications, 407-644-4142

Marcus & Millichap Hires David Forooz as Senior Associate in Las Vegas Office

LAS VEGAS, NV-– Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services, the nation’s largest real estate investment services firm, has hired David Forooz (top right photo) as a senior associate in the Las Vegas office, according to John Vorsheck, regional manger of the Las Vegas office.

“With more than seven years of experience in the commercial real estate industry, David brings a wealth of knowledge and local expertise to our firm,” says Vorsheck. “David has an impressive list of private investor clients who are actively involved in acquiring and Nevada commercial real estate. His established relationships and thorough understanding of the fundamentals shaping the local market will make him an asset to the Las Vegas office.”

Prior to joining Marcus & Millichap, Forooz served as vice president of Forooz & Associates Inc., a Las Vegas-based real estate development and investment company.

He was responsible for corporate operations, including new business development and client relations for brokerage, investment and construction. In his former position, Forooz facilitated sales in excess of $150 million.

Press Contact: Stacey Corso
Communications Department
(925) 953-1716