SILVER SPRING, Md. (June 27, 2000) - Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) spearheaded its development in China this month with the launch of the first four-and-a-half star Clarion Hotel in Guangzhou.

The 19-story, 380-room, Clarion Hotel is located in the heart of Guangzhou`s Tianhe area, adjacent to the Guangzhou East Railway Station. Among the largest cities in the country, Guangzhou is the transportation, industrial, and trade center of Southern China. Guangzhou has an international airport and is linked with Hong Kong by rail and hovercraft. Lau Yiu Chu is the major shareholder of the new hotel.

Choice is aggressively penetrating the Asia-Pacific region with plans to develop at least one Clarion and/or Quality brand hotel in Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen by 2001.

“Our initial focus is to develop our Clarion and Quality brand hotels in the gateway cities of China,” said Barry Robinson, director of franchise services & development, Asia/Pacific. “We then plan to fill in the gaps for a much needed international mid-market brand, with our Comfort and Sleep hotels. These brands will cater to an ever-increasing domestic traveling population and the budget conscious international traveler who requires consistent, efficient, clean levels of service.”

The Clarion Hotel Guangzhou features standard guestrooms with queen and twin configuration or suites with one king-size bed. The Clarion Business Class Rooms, guestrooms designed exclusively for business travelers and a hallmark of Clarion Hotels, feature desk with chair, dataport, desk lighting, office supplies, in-room coffeemaker, iron and ironing board, mini refrigerator and hair dryer.

Room amenities include a 25-inch remote-control TV with cable programming and multiple telephones. Suites additionally feature two-bathrooms, living room and computer hookup.

Room rates start at $85. Discounts are available for senior citizens, business travelers and members of the American Automotive Association.

Hotel amenities include currency exchange, outdoor swimming pool, karaoke lounge, fitness center including sauna, barber and beauty shop, billiard room, business center with private conference rooms, recreation center, bowling alley, and eight restaurants featuring both Chinese and Western cuisine. The hotel also has seven meeting rooms to accommodate both banquet and conference activities for more than 600 guests.

Clarion Hotels is an international, upscale, full service hotel chain franchised by Choice, one of the world`s largest hotel franchisors with almost 5,000 hotels currently open or under development in 39 countries.

In addition to Clarion, Choice franchises hotels under the Comfort, Quality, Econo Lodge, MainStay Suites, Sleep, and Rodeway Inn brands. For more information about Choice, visit www.choicehotels.com.

To make reservations at The Clarion Hotel Guangzhou, call Clarion Hotel`s toll free reservations service, (800) CLARION or visit www.clarionhotel.com.

——-