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Ken Ellens
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Benchmark Hospitality at Chaminade Resort & Spa Completes Comprehensive Renovation


Santa Cruz, California, May 2008 … Benchmark Hospitality International, which operates Chaminade Resort & Spa, has formally announced the completion of the comprehensive $15 million renovation of the historic property overlooking Monterey Bay in northern California. The renovation program included all public areas, the restaurant & lounge, guestrooms, as well as meeting and event spaces.

“We’re thrilled to formally announce the new Chaminade,” said Norbert Relecker, general manager. “We now have a resort complex that matches our Four Diamond service and breathtaking views. We hope people will come and visit us to see it for themselves.”

Perched high up on a vast hillside rising out of Monterey Bay and providing stunning views to the Pacific Ocean, Chaminade was originally a Catholic Boys School named after the French priest and educator, Father William Joseph Chaminade. The school opened in 1929 at a time when the area was a misty coastline, unexplored except by an occasional adventurous soul venturing into what were then the outreaches of northern California’s hills.

Today, Chaminade is reincarnated as a vibrant and award-winning resort destination, which celebrates its heritage and serene California coast setting while setting its sights firmly on providing exemplary 21st century hospitality to it guests.

The interior designer for the new Chaminade, Andrea Dawson Sheehan of Dawson Design Associates www.dawsondesignassociates.com, located in Seattle, Washington, incorporated this heritage into the resort’s sophisticated and luxurious new interiors. To do so, she utilized a kaleidoscope of colors, borrowing pigments from the entire spectrum of the storied California sun, landscape and the resort’s mission heritage, while folding in elements of the indigenous culture and that of Spain.

Fabrics, wall coverings, floor treatments, bed linens and the myriad of tasteful appointments placed throughout are of rich, elegant hews of chocolate brown, mustard, cherry, slate and tomato reds with splashes of azure, fuchsia and yellow providing dramatic accents.

Natural materials such as walnut, cotton, wool and slate are interspersed with hand-made carpets, tiled floors, glass tile walls, brick, and finished metals. The mix has produced spaces that are visually alluring and yet soothing -- to borrow from Chaminade’s heritage, inspiring and spiritual.

Outside, guests find magical, tree lined paths wrapping hillsides forested with groves of ancient oak and eucalyptus trees on the resort’s 288 private acres. Groomed lawns creep up to the resort’s terraces where they unite with bougainvillea and wisteria, which blanket the trellises.

About Chaminade Resort & Spa
Chaminade, a Full Service Conference Resort, www.chaminade.com, offers world-class hospitality on the California Coast. Built high on a bluff, the mission-style luxury resort commands a panoramic view of the Monterey Bay and the Santa Cruz Mountains. Chaminade's superior location offers a sense of peaceful seclusion only minutes from world-renowned golf, beaches and downtown Santa Cruz. The remarkable setting, combined with the renowned quality and personalized service of Benchmark Hospitality International, keeps guests coming back time and time again. At Chaminade, our goal is to exceed the expectations of guests during their stay at one of the finest conference resorts in the Bay Area. Benchmark Hospitality International operates Chaminade.

Benchmark Hospitality International is a leader in the management and marketing of resorts, conference centers, hotels, and Personal Luxury Hotels™. The privately held company, launched in 1980, is a founding member of the International Association of Conference Centers. Benchmark is a worldwide organization operating over 30 properties representing major metropolitan and resort destinations. Benchmark's international headquarters is located in The Woodlands, Texas, near Houston, with regional offices in New Jersey and Connecticut. International offices are located in Tokyo and Santiago, Chile. For locations of properties and additional information, visit www.benchmarkhospitality.com.

Photography Available at:
http://benchmarkhospitality.com/Media_Center/Property_Photography.asp?p_id=3&pp_id=202

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Benchmark Hospitality Property Portfolio
For more than 25 years, Benchmark Hospitality International has set the standard for integrity, quality and service in management and marketing services for resorts, conference centers, hotels, golf courses and spa services.

At all of the Benchmark properties the legacy of success is anchored in our philosophy of balanced living, learning and leisure™. It is the formula that creates the signature of unparalleled excellence in quality and service throughout the network of Benchmark resorts, hotels and conference centers.

Scottsdale Resort & Conference Center
Scottsdale, Arizona
Bardessono
Yountville (Napa Valley), California
Chaminade Resort & Spa
Santa Cruz , California
Cheyenne Mountain Resort
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Naples Bay Resort
Naples, Florida
The Villas at Grand Cypress
Orlando, Florida
Marenas Resort
Sunny Isles Beach, Florida
Costa d'Este Beach Resort
Vero Beach, Florida
Turtle Bay Resort
Kahuku, O'ahu, Hawaii
Eaglewood Resort and Spa
Itasca, Illinois
The Heldrich Hotel & Spa
New Brunswick, New Jersey
Eldorado Hotel & Spa
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Hotel 718
Brooklyn, New York
Downtown Conference Center
New York City, New York
Edith Macy Conference Center
Briarcliff Manor, New York
The Chattanoogan
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Hotel Granduca
Houston, Texas
Hotel Contessa
San Antonio, Texas
Lakeside Resort & Residences
Flower Mound, Texas
Under Development
Sorrel River Ranch Resort
Moab, Utah
Inn at Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia
Bellevue Park Hotel
Bellevue, Washington
Hotel 1000
Seattle, Washington
Sorrento Hotel
Seattle, Washington
Willows Lodge
Woodinville, Washington
Stonewall Resort
Roanoke, West Virginia
Tokyo Conference Center
Tokyo, JAPAN
ONE Bal Harbour Resort & Spa
Miami, Florida