RockBridge and Musselman Hotels Invest $30M in Marriott Louisville East

Bring 'downtown amenities' to east end hotel

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. June 25, 2012

Louisville, KY - June 25, 2012 - Hospitality investor, RockBridge, and Louisville hotelier, Musselman Hotels LLC, today announced the opening of the Marriott Louisville East. The partners have invested more than $30 million in a top-to-bottom rebuild of the hotel that opens June 21 under the Marriott banner.

RockBridge and Musselman purchased the former Park Inn hotel at 1903 Embassy Square Blvd. in December 2010 and closed it in order to begin an 18-month transformation.

The new hotel boasts one of the largest meeting and event spaces available in the east end with 21,000 square feet, including an 8,000-square foot ballroom added during the rebuild.

The guest rooms offer luxury amenities including a 42-inch flat panel HD TV, refrigerator, walk-in shower, swing-out desk, in-room recycling and high-speed wireless access. Guests on the top floor enjoy a concierge lounge, which includes complimentary hors d'oeuvres and beverages for guests, as well as a laptop workstation and printer.

"The complete redesign and rebuild of this property will provide guests with the look and feel of a brand new full service hotel," said Jim Merkel, President and CEO of RockBridge. "These improvements, along with the return of the Marriott flag and reservation system to the property, will position it as the premier hotel in the market."

Marriott Louisville East will be the largest of Musselman's 15 hotel properties with 252 guest rooms on 10 floors. Musselman has hired approximately 125 employees at the hotel to service hotel guests.

"Our goal with Marriott Louisville East is to bring the service level and amenities that people come to expect from top-tier downtown hotels to a convenient suburban location," said Chester Musselman, president of Musselman Hotels. "We have assembled an experienced staff that will focus completely on taking care of our guests."

Much of the new hotel's decor takes its cues from Kentucky's bourbon industry. The modern, open-concept lobby is highlighted with bourbon barrel-inspired woods and stone reminiscent of the Kentucky limestone that distillers say enhance Kentucky bourbon's flavor.

Guest rooms feature Bluegrass-inspired artwork, and even the carpeting throughout the hotel's meeting and event space appears to look like the flames that char the inside of bourbon barrels.

"Bourbon is such an important part of Kentucky and we want to share that experience with our guests," said Jeff Thompson, the hotel's general manager.

Charr'd Bourbon Kitchen & Lounge will be the hotel's signature restaurant. Musselman recruited Chef Ryan Montgomery, formerly of Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse at Belterra Casino, to head up the kitchen. The restaurant will feature local and regional ingredients in a bourbon-themed menu, and the restaurant's bar will stock more than 80 different bourbons.

"We will offer a true taste of Kentucky, including cutting edge culinary techniques combined with big city flare and southern charm," Montgomery said.

Musselman Hotels has experienced steady growth over the past 10 years, positioning the company as a leader in the marketplace.

"It is our mission to continually delight our guests by exceeding their expectations of service, while achieving the highest level of profitability for our investors," said Musselman. "Marriott Louisville East will combine the exceptional talents of our employees with an individualized approach to hospitality to ensure continued growth for years to come."

Marriott Louisville East (opening June 21, 2012)
1903 Embassy Square Blvd.
Louisville, KY 40299
Phone: (502) 491-1184
Website: www.marriott.com/sdfls
Facebook: Facebook.com/MarriottLouisvilleEast
Twitter: Twitter.com/MarriottLouEast

• 252 guest rooms, offering luxury amenities including a 42-inch flat panel HD TV, refrigerator, walk-in shower, swing-out desk, in-room recycling, high-speed wireless access and more
• Charr'd Bourbon Kitchen & Lounge, featuring a menu inspired by Kentucky's signature spirit and a bar stocking more than 80 bourbons
• Heated indoor pool and hot tub
• 1,500-square foot fitness facility
• Top-floor concierge lounge
• 21,000 square feet of premium event space, including an 8,000-square foot ballroom
• Free high-speed Wi-Fi in common areas

About RockBridge

RockBridge is an integrated hotel investment firm that has executed on over 300 debt and equity hotel investments in the U.S. over the past two decades. Since 1992, RockBridge's team has invested nearly $3 billion in the hospitality industry as part of approximately $5 billion of total transaction capitalization. The principals of RockBridge have formed and managed nine hospitality-focused investment funds across multiple platforms with predominantly institutional investors. For additional information about RockBridge, visit www.rockbridgecapital.com.

About Musselman Hotels

Musselman Hotels, LLC operates 15 properties, including seven hotels in the Louisville metro area. Louisville properties include Courtyard by Marriott Louisville Downtown, Embassy Suites Louisville East, Fairfield Inn by Marriott Louisville South, Hilton Garden Inn at The Summit, Hilton Garden Inn at Louisville Airport, Homewood Suites Louisville East and Marriott Louisville East. Embassy Suites Louisville East was honored with the "Connie Award" in 2008, the highest honor in the Hilton family, ranking the property number one in North America. Homewood Suites Louisville East received the "Connie Award" in 2010. Musselman Hotels also boasts three "Hotel of the Year" winners including Springhill Suites by Marriott in Lexington, Ky. in 2005, Homewood Suites by Hilton - Louisville East in 2008 and The Westin in Richmond, Va. in 2010. More information is available at www.musselmanhotels.com.