Benchmarks's Hometown Hospitality Community Outreach Initiative

Put In Action on Historic Sheffield Island in Long Island Sound

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. October 14, 2008

HOUTON, TX, August 31, 2006. Benchmark Hospitality International recently hosted 85 employees from its 31 properties for the company's annual lobster and clam bake on Sheffield Island in Long Island Sound. For dessert, they served up a helping of the company's community outreach initiative, Hometown Hospitality.

"We love Sheffield Island and visit it every year for our company's annual summer picnic," said Sam Haigh, Benchmark's President and COO. "It seemed right to leave the island better off than when we came, since we enjoy so many great times there each summer. It was also the perfect opportunity to put our company's outreach initiative, Hometown Hospitality - Caring For Our Communities, into practice and we were glad to contribute with 85 pairs of helping hands."

Benchmark's employees divided into four groups with each tackling a special project designed to make the scenic island cleaner and safer for the many guests who visit throughout the summer season. The projects included rebuilding a stepped walkway over the seawall, reorganizing the storage building located near the historic 1867 lighthouse museum, removing tons of debris from the tip of the island and adding several feet of cribbed rock to restore a portion of the island's seawall.

These projects had been deferred by the publicly-owned island for some time due to lack of resources and safety was becoming a concern. Benchmark stepped up to get the job accomplished, including it as an activity at their annual summer picnic.

The "Hometown Hospitality - Caring For Our Communities" program of Benchmark Hospitality International advances the philanthropic endeavors of the leading hospitality management company through employee volunteer programs, in-kind donations and community outreach activities. Benchmark believes that responsible corporate citizenship recognizes the inalienable link between a healthy and vibrant community and the health and well being of a company and its employees. Hometown Hospitality - Caring for Our Communities encourages and enables Benchmark employees globally to seek leading roles in the communities in which they live and work and the world community as well by supporting social, educational, and cultural programs, either through property-developed initiatives or through partnering with existing services.