Loews Miami Beach Hotel

AS AMERICAN AIRLINES TACKS ON ADDED FEES, LOEWS HOTELS HELPS TRAVELERS TACKLE THE HIDDEN COSTS OF AIR TRAVEL

-- New Baggage Buy Back Program Will Reimburse Guests for Airline Luggage Fee --

New York (May 22, 2008) " On the heels of American Airlines announcement today that it will begin charging a $15 fee for travelers first checked bag and the likelihood that other airlines will follow suit, Loews Hotels introduces a new Baggage Buy Back incentive that will reimburse guests for their $15 checked baggage fee. Arriving guests need only present any airline bag fee receipt at the front desk to receive the rebate, which will be issued in the form of a credit to their bill at check-out. The Baggage Buy Back rebate is available at Loews 18 properties in the U.S. and Canada, beginning June 15 through Labor Day, September 1, 2008. Loews Hotels will offer credit for up to two bags for a maximum of $30 per occupied room per stay.
In just the last few months, airlines have added myriad new fees to cover rising fuel prices, said Jonathan Tisch, Chairman and CEO of Loews Hotels. At Loews Hotels, we want to demonstrate to our guests how much we appreciate their business and one way we can do this is by helping them rein in some of the hidden costs of travel that are becoming increasingly common.
Headquartered in New York City, Loews Hotels owns and/or operates 18 hotels and resorts in the U.S. and Canada. Located in major city centers and resort destinations from coast to coast, the Loews portfolio features one-of-a-kind properties that go beyond Four Diamond standards to delight guests with a supremely comfortable, uniquely local and vibrant travel experience. Loews boasts some of the industry's most innovative and successful travel programs, including Loews Loves Kids for families and Loews Loves Pets for discerning animals on the road. For reservations or more information on Loews Hotels, call 1-800-23-LOEWS or check www.loewshotels.com.
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Contact: Emily Goldfischer Michelle Colligan
Loews Hotels Redpoint Marketing PR, Inc.
212-521-2833 212-229-0119
egoldfischer@loewshotels.com colligan@redpointpr.com

LOEWS HOTELS ELEVATES THE BANQUET EXPERIENCE WITH
THE INDUSTRYS FIRST WINES BY THE GLASS PROGRAM

-- Traditional choice of red or white gives way to broad range of premium, organic, and locally-sourced wines, at three price points --


March 17, 2008 (New York, NY) " Loews Hotels goes beyond the generic red or white at banquets with the introduction of a new wines-by-the-glass program that allows banquet and meetings guests to enjoy their choice of varietal. The first hotel to chain offer a wine-by-the-glass program in banquets, Loews Hotels now features a broad wine selection at three different price points.
The program enhances the traditional banquet experience by introducing a restaurant style of service and a wine list to match, said Ellen Burke Van Slyke, Corporate Creative Director of F&B, Loews Hotels.
Along with the traditional Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, the new banquet bar wine list offers a selection of Sparkling wines, a White Zinfandel, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz, Merlot and Syrah.
In creating the wine list, Loews turned to winemaking families who have been producing wines for over 100 years to ensure the highest quality. The list also showcases vineyards that engage in sustainable farming. The process began with a list of 400 wines, based on reputation, availability and price point. It was then narrowed to 65. Loews conducted a blind tasting with a panel of 12 experts, including three food & beverage directors, two executive chefs, a certified sommelier, a Master French chef and five other decision-makers. The resulting winners, including several organic and locally sourced wines, were selected to best represent the sophisticated palates of the wide spectrum of our banquet guests, said Van Slyke.
Arranged at three different banquet tiers, with one price per glass of all six wines on each tier, the selection of 16 wines includes:
Select Tier
Kenwood Yulupa Brut
Caposaldo Pinot Grigio
Tunnel of Elms Chardonnary
Forestville Shiraz
Hayes Ranch Cabernet
Sutter Home White Zinfandel

Premium Tier
Chandon Brut Classic
Bancott Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc
A by Acacia Chardonnary
Sandstone Merlot
14 Hands Cabernet
Sutter Home White Zinfandel

Luxury Tier
Taittinger Cuvee Prestige Blanc
Tangent Sauvignon Blanc
Paraiso Chardonnay
Brindlewood Syrah
Trinchero Family Cabernet
Sutter Home White Zinfandel


The move reflects an appreciation of our guests more sophisticated preferences, as well as our desire to continually meet and, indeed, exceed their expectations, she continued.
Headquartered in New York City, Loews Hotels owns and/or operates 18 hotels and resorts in the U.S. and Canada as a subsidiary of Loews Corporation (NYSE:LTR). Located in major city centers and resort destinations from coast to coast, the Loews portfolio features one-of-a-kind properties that go beyond Four Diamond standards to delight guests with a supremely comfortable, uniquely local and vibrant travel experience. Loews boasts some of the industry's most innovative and successful travel programs, including Loews Loves Kids for families and Loews Loves Pets for discerning animals on the road. For more information on Loews Hotels, call 1-800-23-LOEWS or check www.loewshotels.com.

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Contact: Emily Goldfischer Michelle Colligan
Loews Hotels Redpoint Marketing PR, Inc.
212-521-2833 212-229-0119
egoldfischer@loewshotels.com colligan@redpointpr.com

Loews Hotels CEO Jonathan Tisch has a special place in his heart for the 800-room Loews Miami Beach Hotel.

He calls the largest hotel in South Beach his baby.

"From the minute this hotel opened, it has consistently been one of the bellwethers for Loews," said Tisch, who was in town for the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. "It's at the top of the list."

Before the Loews Miami Beach opened a decade ago, there hadn't been any new hotels in South Beach since the 1960s. To resuscitate stagnating tourism, the city of Miami Beach entered into a public-private partnership to build a hotel for the Miami Beach Convention Center.

"We had bids from every major hotel chain," Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau President and CEO William D. Talbert III said. "We had Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott .... It was fierce competition, but we knew the Tisch family as some of the greatest hoteliers in the country."

The family owned the Americana Hotel in Miami Beach, which later became the Sheraton Bal Harbour. They were well known in the South Florida community, and the affinity paid off with the success of Loews' South Beach outpost.

"Before Loews, there were no new hotels," Talbert said. "After Loews, there were 60. They jump-started the hotel industry countywide."

The hotel did so well it was able to buy the city of Miami Beach's portion of the partnership two years ago, and has since become fully private. But the guest structure at the hotel hasn't changed: About 60 percent of its business still comes from groups, many of them in town for conferences at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

The hotel's reliance on pre-booked conferences may help insulate it from the oncoming recession. Debbie Castillo, the hotel's regional VP of sales and marketing, said conference-related bookings are made up to 18 months in advance, and noted she has not seen a dip in occupancy rates.

Still, Tisch said he is closely monitoring the economic situation and travel patterns, and will adjust room rate increases if he sees a downward shift in occupancy.