08.08.07
 AMC Delancey Group and Paramount Hotel Group to Build 228-Room Westin Hotel in Berkeley Heights, N.J.
New Full Service Hotel with Extended Stay Suites Planned for Connell Corporate Park

Contact
Michael J. LaCosta, Vice President
Beckerman Public Relations
(908) 781-6420, michaelj@beckermanpr.com


PHILADELPHIA (August 9, 2007) – AMC Delancey Group, Inc., a Philadelphia-based, leading national real estate investment and development firm, and Paramount Hotel Group, a Fairfield, New Jersey-based premier hotel management and development company, today announced that they will partner in the development of an eight-story, 228-room Westin Hotel at the Connell Corporate Park in Berkeley Heights, N.J. This represents the first ground-up development project between the companies, which jointly operate three other renovated full-service hotels on the East Coast.

The Westin Berkeley Heights at Connell Corporate Park will feature a unique twist on the traditional full-service hotel, as 19 of the guestrooms will be extended stay suites to accommodate the significant market demand for long-term stays. The new hotel will also feature approximately 17,000 square feet of meeting space, including a grand ballroom that can accommodate 600 guests, and a 7,000 square foot IACC-approved Executive Meeting Center. According to Smith Travel Research, the Westin Berkeley Heights at Connell Corporate Park will be the first new upscale, full-service hotel built in the market since 1989.

“We targeted Berkeley Heights ten years ago as having a major void when it came to upscale lodging, but until now, we were unable to find the right site,” explained Paramount Hotel Group CEO David A. Simon, who, along with executives at Paramount and AMC Delancey Group, have collectively developed over 100 hotels in a variety of markets. “The Westin Berkeley Heights at Connell Corporate Park represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to satisfy significant demand in an area with nearly insurmountable barriers to entry.”

Kenneth P. Balin, president and CEO of AMC Delancey Group, added, “We’re very excited about the Westin Berkeley Heights at Connell Corporate Park because it marks an expansion of our successful relationship with Paramount Hotel Group into ground-up development of upper-upscale hotels. We have partnered with them in the complete renovation and repositioning of major hotels in Jacksonville, Orlando and suburban Washington, DC. This Westin marks the beginning of our development program. We also have the opportunity to work with the Connells, a third-generation family company that shares many of our own goals and values. We believe the combination will result an extremely successful hotel in an outstanding location.”

The hotel will be located within the 185-acre Connell Corporate Park, which presently contains four Class A office buildings totaling approximately 1.3 million square feet of office space. Some of the larger existing corporate tenants include AIG, Schering-Plough, EMC, Maher Terminals and Palisades Insurance. Within 10 miles of the Park are also several other major corporations, including Alcatel-Lucent, Verizon, Avaya and Johnson & Johnson. When fully developed, Connell Corporate Park will consist of six Class A office buildings totaling over 1.75 million square feet, a high-end fitness and spa facility, and the new Westin.

The Westin Berkeley Heights at Connell Corporate Park will be franchised by AMC Delancey Group and Paramount Hotel Group under a license from Starwood Hotels. Paramount will manage the hotel, which will offer special services and amenities exclusive to the Westin brand, including:

  • Approximately 17,000 square feet of meeting space, including an Executive Meeting Center, all equipped for high speed Internet access and featuring extensive VPN capabilities, allowing meeting attendees secure, instant access to email and corporate networks.
     
  • The Heavenly Bed® - Unlike any other bed in the industry, Westin’s signature innovation has won glowing reviews and loyal fans since its introduction in 1999
     
  • The Heavenly Shower® - Offers guests fully customizable shower experience via exclusive, invigorating dual showerheads and more elbow room
     
  • WestinWORKOUT® Powered by Reebok Gym - State-of-the-art fitness facility
     
  • Westin Kids Club® - Fun activities, essential amenities and helpful services for children under 13
     
  • Westin One Call® - Designed to organize and facilitate every detail of your meeting or event
     
  • Westin Service Express® - With just one call, request all the hotel services you desire
     
  • Westin Technical Concierge - 24-hour technical assistance assures trouble-free connectivity
     
  • Westin Express Checkout® - Bypass the front desk for fast and easy check out

About Paramount Hotel Group
Founded in 1999, is a premier hotel management and development company that specializes in value-oriented management of full and limited service hotels nationwide. As an independent operator, Paramount team has successfully managed hotels under every major brand including Marriott, Hilton, Radisson, Sheraton, Crown Plaza, Holiday Inn, Ramada and Howard Johnson. The company is headquartered in Fairfield, N.J., and manages and/or has ownership interests in 27 properties with more than 3,000 rooms.

About AMC Delancey Group
Founded by Kenneth P. Balin in 1992, AMC Delancey Group, Inc. is a leading real estate investment and development firm that aligns interests and co-invests with a growing number of real estate operating partners throughout the United States. Headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Company's programmatic approach focuses first on the quality of potential operating partners, next on their investment strategies, and then on the specific properties proposed for acquisition. The Company's current investment programs include hotel, office, retail, multi-family, condominium, mixed use, and land development. AMC Delancey plans to expand these and future investment programs throughout the United States, with both existing and new operating partners, with investments targeted over the next several years in excess of one billion dollars. For more information on AMC Delancey Group, visit www.amcdelancey.com .

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