HILTON GARDEN INN RICHMOND DOWNTOWN IN HISTORIC
MILLER & RHOADS BRINGS BACK CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS

Santa Claus, Teddy Bear Teas, hot chocolate and holiday cookies will highlight
holiday season at newly restored historic building

RICHMOND, VA (November 30, 2009) From Santa Claus to Teddy Bear teas, Hilton Garden Inn Richmond Downtown plans to revive beloved Christmas traditions this season in the newly restored Miller & Rhoads building.

"We treasure the history of this building and the memories so many people fondly hold of Christmas at Miller & Rhoads," said hotel general manager Brian McGhee. "Now that the building has been restored, we want to bring many of those memories back to life to make our lobby a hub of holiday activity in downtown Richmond," he added.

Of course, Santa Claus will be the main attraction, said McGhee, with appearances scheduled each day from December 8 through December 13. Santa will visit Miller & Rhoads from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. December 8-10 and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. December 11-13. Children are invited to tell Santa what is on their wish list and have their photos taken in his chair. A professional photographer will also be available to take digital photographs for a small fee, he said.

In addition, two Teddy Bear Teas are scheduled for December 12 and 13 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Reservations can be made by calling the hotel at 804-727-2104. Tickets are $25 per child.

McGhee also invites Richmond residents to bring their Miller & Rhoads memories to the hotel, where a display of Miller & Rhoads artifacts will be set up for the holiday season.

The hotel will light a giant Christmas tree December 4 in conjunction with the Richmond Grand Illumination ceremony. Visitors to the hotel will enjoy complimentary hot chocolate or hot cider with holiday cookies for those two events, as well as the Ukrops Christmas parade scheduled December 5, said McGhee.

The hotel lobby in the restored Miller & Rhoads building is already serving as a collection site for Puritan Cleaners Coats for Kids and Christmas Mother Canned Goods Collection. The hotel is also serving as a collection site for Toys for Tots and for letters to Santa.

The new Hilton Garden Inn Richmond Downtown, located on the corner of East Broad and Fifth streets, offers 250 rooms, including 15 suites. The hotel opened in the spring of this year, with the 133 condominiums completed and ready for occupancy during the summer.

The Miller & Rhoads project was developed by HRI Properties of New Orleans and ECI Investment Advisors of Richmond.

Based in New Orleans with offices in St. Louis, MO, and Raleigh, NC, HRI Properties (HRI) is a full-service real estate development company and a national leader in the adaptive reuse of historic structures. HRI's mission is revitalizing cities by creating diverse, vibrant, sustainable communities. For more information, see www.hriproperties.com.

HRI Lodging owns and operates hotel properties in New Orleans, LA; Shreveport, LA; Jackson, MS and Richmond. HRI hotels include restoration of the D.H. Holmes department store in New Orleans; the King Edward Hotel in Jackson in addition to Miller & Rhoads in Richmond.

ECI Investment Advisors, Inc. (ECI) is a privately held commercial real estate company providing municipalities, financial institutions, REITs and private investors with a wide array of investment, development and advisory services.