Salamander Properties Join Preferred Group Programs

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. April 23, 2009

APRIL 23, 2009 - Salamander Hospitality's unique collection of properties has gained acceptance into various brands operated by the prestigious Preferred Hotel Group.

Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club near Tampa, and Salamander Resort & Spa in Middleburg, VA, (opening 2011) are now both members of the Preferred Hotels & Resorts program. Innisbrook is also a member of the Preferred Golf Group. Woodlands Inn near Charleston, SC, has been accepted into the Preferred Boutique and Historic Hotels of America brands. All of the properties are managed by Salamander Hospitality.

"Some of the finest hotels and resorts are affiliated with Preferred Hotel Group, and our company is proud to be associated with the brand," said Prem Devadas, president of Salamander Hospitality. "As we continue to grow, our goal is to further expand this partnership."

The Preferred Hotel Group, which is celebrating 40 years of excellence, is a worldwide hotel distribution network that provides high-performance sales, marketing, and technology solutions to more than 680 independent hotels and resorts in over 75 countries.

Salamander Hospitality was founded in 2005 by noted entrepreneur and philanthropist Sheila C. Johnson to manage her collection of hospitality interests. In 2006 Johnson purchased Woodlands Inn near Charleston, SC, and Salamander Hospitality has overseen an immaculate restoration of the 1906 classic revival mansion. Woodlands is one of only four properties in North America to hold the Mobil Five Star and AAA Five Diamond ratings for both its accommodations and dining room. In 2008, it was also ranked by readers of Travel + Leisure magazine as number one in the US and Canada for service, and number three worldwide. The Inn features 18 guest rooms and suites, a country guest cottage, a day spa, croquet lawn, red-clay tennis courts, a temperature-controlled swimming pool, unique meeting facilities, and golf privileges at nearby area courses. The Dining Room at Woodlands was recently recognized as "Restaurant of the Year" in the Charleston area.

At Innisbrook, Salamander Hospitality began an aggressive renovation of the resort immediately upon Johnson's acquisition of the property in July 2007. The far-reaching plan touched all areas of the resort and included opening a new clubhouse, spa and restaurants. The resort's four championship golf courses have each received upgrades, including the resort's famed Copperhead Course, home to the PGA TOUR's Transitions Championship recently won by Retief Goosen. The project also included refurbishing all 65,000 square feet of Innisbrook's conference space, remodeling each of the three golf clubhouses, and creating a new centralized guest registration area. The resort's Tennis Center, which features 11 clay courts, also received a new look, as did as each of Innisbrook's six swimming pools. The project's final phase recently saw the opening of a new 20,000-square-foot spa called Indaba, which is Zulu for "gathering place."

Set on 340 acres in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains amid Virginia's famed horse country and lush vineyards, yet only a 35- minute drive from Washington Dulles Airport, Salamander Resort & Spa is scheduled to open in spring 2011. Designed to blend into the natural environment in which it sits, the resort features 168 luxurious rooms and suites, a 23,000-square-foot spa, a full-service equestrian center, Virginia Piedmont-inspired dining, a dedicated cooking studio, wine bar and a unique array of conference and banquet facilities. The resort, which is owned by Johnson and managed by Salamander Hospitality, also offers guests a Jack Nicklaus golf experience at nearby Creighton Farms Estates.