MeriStar Hospitality Corp.

4501 N. Fairfax Dr., Suite 500

Year founded: 1988

Industry: Hospitality/travel

Post 200 Category: Top 125 Companies

Revenue: $779.17 Million

Net Income/Loss: ($96,299,000.00)

Earnings per share: ($1.19)

Dividend: n/a

Stockholder equity: $685.03 Million

Auditor: KPMG LLP

Stock: MHX

Assets: $2.42 Billion

Market capitalization: $607.22 Million

52-week high: 8.54 1/3/2005

52-week low: 5.01 8/13/2004

Chairman and CEO: Paul W. Whetsell

COO: Bruce G. Wiles

Employees: 52

Local employees: 51

Description: MeriStar is a real estate investment trust that owns 73 hotels in North America, operating under brand names including Hilton, Sheraton and Marriott. MeriStar was formed through the 1998 merger of American General Hospitality Corp. and CapStar Hotel Co. Its hotels are managed by Interstate Hotels & Resorts, which merged with MeriStar's former management arm in 2002.

Developments: The hotel business improved in 2004, and MeriStar's operating income increased to $57 million from $906,000 in 2003. That was not enough of an improvement to cover the company's debt service costs, so the company lost money. MeriStar pushed to make its portfolio of hotels more upscale last year. It acquired the Ritz-Carlton in Pentagon City in May 2004 for $93 million, and it bought a $50 million interest in the Radisson Lexington Avenue hotel in Manhattan. It sold properties including the Safety Harbor Resort and Spa in Florida. The company named William H. Reynolds Jr. chief investment officer, putting him in charge of property acquisition.

Executive Compensation
Chairman and CEO: Paul W. Whetsell
Total Cash: $1,715,492.00
Total Compensation: $6,213,796.00