MeriStar Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: MMH), the nation`s largest independent hotel management company, today announced that Robert Morse has been named president - hotel operations.
Previously, Morse was president of Millennium Hotels and Resorts (MHR), the U.S. division of London-based Millennium and Copthorne Hotels plc. He replaces David McCaslin, who is leaving to form a hotel management company that will specialize in independent, boutique hotels. It is anticipated that McCaslin`s new venture will have a relationship with MeriStar through utilization of purchasing and other back office services.

Morse will be responsible for overseeing 222 hotels managed by the company. Prior to his term with Millennium Hotels, he was executive vice president of operations for MeriStar Hotels & Resorts.

``We are pleased to have Bob back,`` said Paul W. Whetsell, MeriStar chairman and chief executive officer. ``Bob is a proven leader with expertise in all aspects of operations and all phases of the economic cycle.``

``Dave McCaslin was one of our founding employees and has played an important role in the development and success of MeriStar,`` Whetsell said. ``His new company will focus on unique, non-branded hotels that do not lend themselves to a standardized management template, and we look forward to working with his new company in the very near future. This move has been in the works for some time but was accelerated by the unanticipated termination of the merger with FelCor. He will be announcing his new organization shortly.``

Prior to joining MeriStar, Morse was president of the Homestead Village extended stay brand, responsible for 125 operating units generating $220 million in revenue nationwide. Previously, he was president of the franchise division of ITT Sheraton Corp. and president of Four Points Hotels by Sheraton.

Morse received a B.S. in Hotel, Restaurant and Travel Administration from the University of Massachusetts. He is a trustee of the American Hotel & Lodging Association Educational Institute and an advisory board member of the UMass Hotel, Restaurant and Travel Administration Department.

MeriStar Hotels & Resorts operates 276 hospitality properties with more than 58,000 rooms in 40 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, and Puerto Rico, including 54 properties managed by Flagstone Hospitality Management, a subsidiary of MeriStar Hotels & Resorts. Its BridgeStreet Corporate Housing Worldwide subsidiary is one of the world`s largest corporate housing providers, offering upscale, fully furnished corporate housing throughout the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Paris and 39 additional countries through its network partners. Through its Doral Golf division, MeriStar manages 11 golf courses. For more information about MeriStar Hotels & Resorts, visit the company`s Web site: www.meristar.com

This press release contains forward-looking statements, within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, about MeriStar Hotels & Resorts, Inc., including those statements regarding future operating results and the timing and composition of revenues, among others. Except for historical information, the matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially, including the following: the ability of MeriStar Hotels & Resorts to successfully implement its acquisition and operating strategies; the company`s ability to manage rapid expansion; significant leverage; changes in economic cycles; competition from other hospitality companies; and changes in the laws and government regulations applicable to the company. For a more detailed description of some of those risks and uncertainties, please read the section titled ``Risk Factors`` and ``Forward-Looking Information`` in the annual report on Form 10-K of MeriStar Hotels & Resorts for the year ended December 31, 2000.

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