The Bel-Air Hotel, consistently ranked in Lodging Hospitality`s Top 100 suburban hotels in the country and recently voted Erie`s #1 hotel by the Erie Times, is now operating as the Clarion Hotel & Conference Center.

The hotel, a popular lodging establishment in northwestern Pennsylvania for the past 40 years, is located at 2800 West 8th St. (off exit 44B of I-79) and owned and operated by Schwab Hospitality Corp. of Erie.

The Clarion Hotel & Conference Center, Erie, features 131 spacious rooms and suites with king-size and two double-size beds. Some rooms have balconies.

Each guest room features TV, movies on demand, Nintendo game system, telephone with dataport and voice mail, coffee maker, hair dryer, iron and ironing board. Each junior suite also features a king size bed, two TVs, desk, ergonomic chair and couch. The Governor Suite, a two-room suite with parlor, features a dining table for 10, built-in bar, mini refrigerator,sink, couch and love seat.

The Clarion Hotel & Conference Center also features the Clarion Class Business Room, an innovative guestroom designed exclusively for business travelers, featuring the Class One Office workstation, an oversized desk with a two-line speaker telephone with data-port, ergonomic chair and easy-access electrical outlets. The Clarion Class Business Room is equipped with a coffee maker, 25-inch remote-controlled television, microwave, refrigerator, iron, ironing board and hairdryer. Rooms for individuals with disabilities and non-smoking rooms are available.

Hotel features include Maximilian`s Restaurant, a full-service restaurant and lounge open daily from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. featuring a varied menu of American cuisine for breakfast, lunch, dinner and room service. A complimentary continental breakfast featuring cereal, pastries, fruit, yogurt, juice and coffee, tea and milk, is offered in Maximilian`s restaurant daily.

Other hotel features include a heated indoor pool, jacuzzi, sauna and fitness center with treadmill, stationary bike, and universal and weight machines, a Biz Net Business Center with computers with internet access, printer, and photocopy and facsimile machines, and valet dry cleaning service.

The hotel has 6,500 square feet of meeting space including a 5,000 square foot ballroom, which accommodates as many as 600 people for a cocktail reception or 360 for a seated banquet. There are also two boardrooms that can accommodate up to 35 people each.

Guests of the Clarion Hotel receive complimentary USA TODAY newspapers, free local telephone calls and 100 percent guest satisfaction guarantee.

Rates are $89 for a single and $99 for a double room. Discounts are available for seniors, AAA members, business travelers, government and military personnel and groups when booked in advance.

The Clarion Hotel & Conference Center is located a half mile from Presque Isle State Park and Lake Erie and four miles from downtown Erie. Complimentary hotel shuttle service is available to and from Erie Airport, which is just five minutes from the hotel. Shopping and restaurants are within walking distance of the hotel. Skiing, fishing, biking, tennis and water skiing are nearby.

Members of Choice Privileges, Choice`s frequent-traveler program, qualify for points toward free stays and gifts certificates when staying at any Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Clarion and Sleep Inn hotel in the United States.

Guests of Choice brand hotels may also choose to earn airlines miles with participating airlines. Through April 30, members of American Airlines AAdvantage, Delta SkyMiles, Northwest Airlines WorldPerks and US Airways Dividend Miles may earn triple miles when staying at any of the 3,300 hotels in the U.S. and Caribbean franchised by Choice Hotels International.

The Clarion Hotel is franchised by Choice Hotels International (NYSE: CHH), one of the world`s largest lodging franchisors. There currently are 160 Clarion brand hotels open and 28 under development worldwide.

For reservations at any Clarion brand hotel worldwide, contact Choice`s toll-free reservation service at 1-800-4CHOICE or visit www.choicehotels.com on the internet. Rooms may also be booked by contacting the Clarion Hotel & Conference Center directly at (814) 833-1116.

——-