Jan. 18, 2005

DAYTON, Ohio -- Construction will begin this spring on a new hotel on Edwin C. Moses Boulevard, across from the University of Dayton Arena Sports Complex and next to Interstate 75. It will be the first hotel development within the city of Dayton since the early 1980s.

The four-story hotel, "Courtyard by Marriott, University of Dayton," will house 102 rooms and two meeting rooms, one that will accommodate up to 50 and a boardroom with capacity for 14 people. It will be constructed on 2.46 acres adjacent the Great Miami River.

A family restaurant, yet to be determined, will be built on an adjacent 1.7 acres.

The facility is the latest addition to UD's Arena Sports Complex, a multimillion-dollar development that currently consists of five athletic venues used by UD teams.

"The new hotel will bring the Arena Sports Complex to the next level," Daniel J. Curran, University of Dayton president, said. "It will not only serve our student-athletes, but also be a tremendous asset for our community. It will give people approaching the city from the south a great first impression of Dayton."

Concord Hospitality, a Raleigh, N.C., hotel development and management company, will develop, build and manage the property, and the University of Dayton will be a part owner of the facility. This is Concord Hospitality's first project in Dayton. The cost of the facility will be determined once the project is under way and Concord begins accepting construction bids.

"Concord Hospitality has a long history of successful hotel development next to major university campuses," said Mark Laport, president and CEO of Concord Hospitality, adding that the company has developed projects near Penn State and the University of Pittsburgh. "We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work in partnership with the University of Dayton on this project."

Concord Hospitality Enterprises Company, founded in 1985, operates 43 hotels in 10 states and Canada. Its hotel brands include Marriott, Renaissance, Courtyard by Marriott, Residence Inn, SpringHill Suites, Fairfield Inn and Suites, as well as Fairfield Inn, Hampton Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, Holiday Inn and Radisson. The company also operates a four-star independent hotel.

"We had preliminary discussions about integrating commercial use into the Arena Sports Complex project, and one of the firms we talked with recommended we look into partnering with Concord Hospitality," said Tim Wabler, UD associate vice president for athletics. "Our research established that Concord is one of the best franchises in the Marriott family, which is evident by the numerous awards the company has earned nationally."

The hotel and restaurant project not only marks Concord's entrance into the Dayton market, it also opens new economic development opportunities for the area.

"The city of Dayton is excited to see the productive use of land surrounding the University of Dayton Arena and new developments that serve both visitors to the city and area residents," Dayton Mayor Rhine McLin said. "The University of Dayton's redevelopment projects have created a new and impressive gateway into the city of Dayton." The new facility and Arena Sports Complex also will give the Dayton region more clout when looking to attract events to the area.

"In addition to providing great homes for our sports programs, the Arena Sports Complex improves the University's ability to continue to host community, regional and national events, such as high school and college tournaments," said Ted Kissell, vice president and director of athletics. "The hotel will make the Arena Sports Complex an even more attractive site for sporting events in Dayton."

Development of the Arena Sports Complex began with a $13 million renovation to the University of Dayton Arena, completed in 2002. Since then, the University built a running track, the Jerry Von Mohr Football Practice Field, Time Warner Cable Stadium for baseball and a softball stadium that will be completed for the 2005 season. Along with the hotel, future plans include a multi-use field and, possibly, a boathouse for the rowing team.