CHARLOTTE, February 13, 2004 . . . Johnson & Wales University today announced it has purchased the Doubletree® Hotel Charlotte � Gateway Village from Bank of America.  The Doubletree hotel will continue to be managed by DT Management, Inc., and operated by Johnson & Wales University under a license agreement with Doubletree Hotel Systems Inc., the franchise subsidiary of Hilton Hotels Corporation.
 

As a part of the Johnson & Wales Hospitality College curriculum, the university plans to use the Doubletree Hotel as a primary facility through which students may receive interactive, hands-on experience in all facets of hotel management and operations.  Scheduled to open this Fall, the $82 million Johnson & Wales University - Charlotte expects a first-year enrollment of

Doubletree Hotel Charlotte-Gateway Village  895 W. Trade Street,  Charlotte, North Carolina

�The Doubletree Hotel � Charlotte Gateway Village, situated at the heart of our Charlotte Campus, has always been a popular hotel with the university community and will continue to be a fantastic gathering place for citizens and visitors to Charlotte,� said Art Gallagher, president of the Charlotte Campus.  �Our new ownership interest in the Doubletree and the programs we have planned at the hotel certainly will add value to our students� overall academic experience.  And as for hotel guests, we will be making significant enhancements to improve their ultimate hotel experience.� 

As the new owner of the Doubletree Hotel � Charlotte Gateway Village, Johnson & Wales will embark on a multi-million-dollar property improvement plan that will bring new technology, amenities and services to the hotel during the next several months.  Included in the plan is the hotelwide installation of a �state of the art� wireless high speed Internet access system, an upgraded sleep experience in all guest rooms and expanded dining facilities and catering services.

Gallagher said he expects the Doubletree to be fully integrated into the university�s curriculum by the beginning of the 2005 academic year in September. Many hospitality and culinary students will spend a term of their sophomore year studying a variety of hotel and foodservice operations, under the guidance of the seasoned hotel professionals at the Doubletree.

Johnson & Wales � America�s Career University® � was founded in 1914. It is a private, non-profit, accredited institution offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs in business, food service, hospitality and technology. With an enrollment of nearly 16,000 students, Johnson & Wales maintains campuses in Providence, R.I., Charleston, S.C., Norfolk, Va., North Miami, Fla., and Denver, Colo. A new Charlotte, N.C., campus opens in September 2004.