In an effort to help strengthen the travel industry, Preferred Hotels(R) & Resorts Worldwide, a global brand of 120 of the world's finest independent luxury properties, is providing incentives to travel agents and meeting planners, including premium commissions, in a program called Preferred Hotels' Spirit of America campaign.

Preferred will also donate a percentage from each trip booked to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. Members of Preferred Hotels & Resorts include The Greenbrier in West Virginia, The Muse in New York City and The Peninsula Chicago.

We at Preferred Hotels and Resorts Worldwide are deeply saddened by the devastating events that took place last week and our thoughts and prayers are with all who lost loved ones, said Peter Cass, President and CEO of Preferred Hotels. It is crucial at this time of national crisis for us all to do whatever we can to strengthen economic activity and one of the key areas that needs support is the travel industry.

The Spirit of America campaign is designed as a move in that direction, in addition to serving as a vehicle for generating additional donations to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. Preferred reservations between October 1, 2001 and December 20, 2001 will qualify for a 3% premium on regular commissions paid.

Of this premium, 2% will be paid to the agency/agent and 1% will be paid directly to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. Reservations booked into a Preferred hotel by a corporate account through their authorized agency during this timeframe will qualify for the 1% charitable donation as well. In addition, group meetings confirmed between October 1, 2001 and March 1, 2002 will qualify for a 1% premium commission to be paid to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. Founded in 1968, Preferred Hotels(R) & Resorts Worldwide (www.preferredhotels.com; GDS code/PH) is a global brand of more than 120 of the world's finest independent luxury hotels and resorts.

To qualify as a Preferred hotel or resort, each property must adhere to Preferred's Standards of Excellence(TM), an exhaustive quality assurance program that includes an annual, third party unannounced audit of 1,600 standards and practices. The rigorous approach to quality ensures that guests consistently enjoy the highest standards of personal service and hospitality.

Headquartered in Chicago, the company has sales offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Milan, Frankfurt, Madrid, Sao Paolo, Boston, Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Sydney. Preferred Hotels & Resorts Worldwide is a wholly owned subsidiary of IndeCorp Corporation, an organization dedicated to providing independent hotel brands with the resources needed to compete effectively with global hotel chains and preserve the diversity and distinctiveness of the world's independent hotels.