Boykin Lodging Company (NYSE: BOY), a hotel real estate investment trust, today announced that its chief operating officer, Richard C. Conti, has assumed the additional responsibility of president of the company. Mr. Conti succeeds Robert W. Boykin, who will remain the company`s chairman and chief executive officer.

“We are pleased to name Rich Conti president of Boykin Lodging,” Mr. Boykin said. “His knowledge of the hospitality industry is unsurpassed, and he has been a significant source of management strength for our company. I look forward to having the benefit of his continuing contributions.”

Mr. Conti has been involved in the hospitality industry for 24 years. He joined Boykin Lodging Company in May 1998 after seven years as a Principal and Director with Coopers and Lybrand L.L.P., where he was responsible for Coopers and Lybrand`s hospitality consulting practice in the Midwest. He was previously with Laventhol and Horwath and with Kidder Peabody, where he was a consultant and investment banker, respectively, focusing on the hospitality industry. Mr. Conti holds an MBA from Michigan State University`s School of Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management. He has presented numerous seminars on the hospitality industry at the International Hotel and Motel Show, the National Restaurant Association`s Annual Convention, the Urban Land Institute, and various lodging and real estate seminars. He has also prepared articles and been quoted in various publications including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Lodging Magazine, and Hotel and Motel Management.

Boykin Lodging Company is a real estate investment trust that focuses on the ownership of full-service, upscale commercial and resort hotels. The company currently owns 33 hotels containing a total of 9,236 rooms located in nineteen states, and operating under such internationally known brands as Doubletree, Marriott, Hilton and Radisson, among others.

——-