Renaissance for Historic Vinoy Hotel With Iconic DESSO Carpet

WAALWIJK, The Netherlands, July 20, 2010 - It took over 500 hours to design and is set to become an iconic carpet
(www.desso.com/Desso/home/EN) in one of America's most famous hotels.
(www.desso.com/Desso/home/EN)

(Photo: www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100720/399941 )

The Renaissance Vinoy Resort and Golf Club Hotel, which first opened in
1925, is of historic and architectural importance and is listed on the US
National Register of Historic Places.

The hotel in St Petersburg, Florida with stunning views over Tampa Bay,
is regarded as the grande dame of the Gulf Coast, and has reopened after a
two-year $93 million renovation, beautifully blending period opulance with
modern luxury.

Central to its unique ambience is the Grand Ballroom, that can seat 499
guests, and which has welcomed great luminaries of screen, sport and politics
such as Marilyn Monroe, James Stewart, Babe Ruth, Herbert Hoover and Calvin
Coolidge.

The Grand Ballroom is illuminated by an exclusive Dale Chihuly-designed
chandelier, made-up of 750 silver and amber glass pieces in a cone-shaped
formation, and carpeted in unique and luxurious Axminster from international
carpet manufacturer DESSO. (www.desso.com/Desso/home/EN)

Such was the design challenge involved in recreating a modern carpet that
would also perfectly echo the hotel's historic past, that DESSO designers,
working closely with the Dallas office of design firm Leo A Daly,
(www.leoadaly.com/) one of the largest architecture, engineering,
planning, and interior design firms in the United States, spent over 500
hours perfecting the pattern and colourways.

The hotel was built by oil tycoon Aymer Vinoy Laughner, from whom it
takes its name, and was originally completed for $3 million in just 10
months, opening on New Year's Eve, 1925 - with Paul Whiteman and his
Orchestra, the most popular jazz band of the 1920s, providing the musical
accompaniment.

Back then, the hotel charged $20 a night, a huge amount, and had a total
of 510 guest bedrooms. However, of those, according to a contemporary
newspaper account, 85 "are reserved for servants" - an indication of the
wealth of its clientele!

Its origins go back to a late night prank involving legendary golfer
Walter Hagen who was using Laughner's pocket watch as a golf tee, driving
golf balls without damaging the watch.

When they later went to collect the balls from the property across the
road, they saw the view that it offered across the bay - and the idea for a
luxury hotel on the site was born.

The hotel now, with its own marina, 12 tennis courts and 18-hole golf
course, is the epitome of style and elegance, also underlining how modern
carpeting can play a crucial role in helping to translate design vision into
design reality. The length of time it took to design carpet for the hotel's
main spaces, and their stringent design specifications, reflect the
importance placed on flooring by the hotel's owners, Felcor Lodging Trust,
and its design team.

DESSO's reputation, built on over 80 years of experience, is embodied in
the quality of its Axminster and Wilton ranges, the company's intimate
understanding of the hotel sector, and in the creative processes that bring
brands to life. The company's carpets can be found almost everywhere in the
world.

In addition to its traditional ranges, DESSO has recently introduced
sound-absorbent and dust-trapping carpets, designed to give improved
acoustics and interior air quality - using design and technology to give
customers next generation performance.

The issue of air quality (www.desso.com/Desso/home/EN) in hotels
is important because there are an estimated 300 million asthma
(www.desso.com/Desso/home/EN) sufferers worldwide, and its prevalence
is increasing in many countries.

The new carpet, AirMaster(R), (www.desso.com/Desso/home/EN)
significantly reduces the amount of dust and particulate matter floating in
the air - providing important health benefits that other flooring solutions
simply cannot match.

It wasn't always champagne and caviar for the Vinoy. During World War II
it was taken over by the US Army as a training camp, then operated as a hotel
again after the war before closing in 1974 and falling into disrepair.

Now, the famous hotel has once more opened its doors, and the Grand
Ballroom is once more its iconic heart - carpeted with a design that took
over 20 days and nights to achieve perfection.

DESSO's latest design brochure for the hospitality sector is entitled
Urban Retro, and takes timeless, fluid design ideas suitable for open spaces
or hotel corridors, but giving them new light and intense vibrancy - offering
designers challenging ideas to inspire their imaginations.

Other brochures in DESSO's hospitality (
www.desso.com/Desso/home/EN) series include the Gates of Bisagra whose
inspiration came from travels through Spain and Morocco, to the award-winning
Around the World in 80 Days, which offers a fresh perspective on design,
(www.desso.com/Desso/home/EN) reflecting diverse geographic
influences.

To find out more, visit www.desso.com or contact
hospitality@desso.com

Charlie Laidlaw, +44(0)1620-844736