2/9/2005 Contact: Deedie Dowdle, 334/844-9999 (ddowdle@auburn.edu)
David Granger, 334/844-9999 (grangdm@auburn.edu)

AU ANNOUNCES RFI FOR GULF SHORES HOTEL

AUBURN – Auburn University invites interested developers to respond to a Request for Information (RFI) for development of a four-star, gulf-front hotel at Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores, AL.

AU has formed a steering committee for the Gulf project, and is working with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the West Paces Hotel Group, its current operating partner for the Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center. The University provides hands-on learning opportunities and curriculum for students as part of its West Paces partnership, and plans similar learning opportunities at the hotel at Gulf State Park, where West Paces will also serve as operator.

Developers interested in the opportunity are requested to respond by March 31, 2005; the complete RFI and contact information can be visited online at www.auburn.edu/gulfstatepark. A site visit for interested parties is tentatively planned for mid-March, 2005; updates will be provided online.

Supplementary Web links include the West Paces Hotels site at www.westpaceshotels.com; the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources site at www.outdooralabama.com; and the Gulf Shores site at www.gulfshores.com.

Auburn University is a pre-eminent land-grant and comprehensive research institution with nearly 23,000 students and 6,500 faculty and staff. Ranked among the top 50 public universities nationally, Auburn is Alabama’s largest educational institution, offering more than 230 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs.

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