Greetings from Portland, Oregon. Below is an update on the area’s newest travel-related developments. We hope you will find this information useful. If you prefer not to receive future media updates on Portland, please click here.

NOVEMBER TOPICS

Hotel News – Kimpton’s 5th Avenue Suites Hotel to become a Kimpton Hotel Monaco

Family Travel – Rare, Endangered Ocelot Baby Born at Oregon Zoo

Cultural Travel – Egypt Opens at Portland Art Museum

Kimpton’s 5th Avenue Suites Hotel to become a Kimpton Hotel Monaco

Kimpton’s 5th Avenue Suites Hotel – named Portland’s #1 hotel and one of the “Top 500 Hotels in the World” by Travel + Leisure magazine – is about to become a Kimpton Hotel Monaco. The transformation, scheduled for completion in late February 2007, involves a $4 million upgrade of the existing 5th Avenue Suites property. This isn’t the first time the building housing the hotel has seen dramatic changes. Constructed in 1912, the building originally served as an upscale downtown department store. In 1996 the historic building reopened as a 221-suite luxury boutique property. Following the upcoming renovation, the hotel will join seven other Kimpton Monaco hotels in such cities as San Francisco, Chicago and Washington, D.C. Known for their classical, urbane style and guest-pampering services, Monaco hotels also develop their own personalities: each property features design elements that pay tribute to the hotel’s original architecture and locale. While adding new amenities, the Hotel Monaco Portland will retain the 5th Avenue Suites’ on-site Aveda spa and complimentary fireside wine tastings each evening. The Hotel Monaco Portland will have the same contact information as the 5th Avenue Suites: 506 S.W. Washington St., Portland, Ore.; 503.222.0001. For more information on the Kimpton Hotels, click here.

Media Contacts:

Lisa Donoughe, Hotel Monaco Portland Account Rep, 503.827.6564

lisa@ladcommunications.com

Lota LaMontagne, Hotel Monaco Portland Account Rep, 503.827.6564

lota@ladcommunications.com

Rare, Endangered Ocelot Baby Born at Oregon Zoo

The Oregon Zoo’s newest baby – a rare, endangered ocelot kitten – is tentatively scheduled to make his public debut in January 2007. The male kitten was born Sept. 9 and is currently receiving around-the-clock care from his doting mother, Alice. Alice and her mate, Ralph, arrived at the Oregon Zoo just last April (zoo officials were not expecting a baby quite so soon). Alice and Ralph were born in 1993 at zoos located in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Ralph made his Portland debut in August, while Alice stayed in an off-exhibit space specially designed for expectant mothers. When her baby was born, Alice kept him out of sight in the birthing den. For five weeks, the zoo staff barely caught a glimpse of the kitten. The kitten has now begun to venture out to explore, making it possible for zoo staff to give him a medical check-up. After receiving a clean bill of health, the as-yet-unnamed kitten was given the O.K. to meet his adoring public in early 2007.

Since 2002, the Oregon Zoo has been working with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Brazilian Ocelot Consortium and the government of Brazil to play a role in the survival of the ocelot, which was placed on the endangered species list in 1982. The Oregon Zoo is one of 10 U.S. zoos involved with the consortium. For more information on the Oregon Zoo, click here. For a peek at the kitten’s first health check-up, click here.

Media Contacts:

Bill LaMarche, Oregon Zoo, 503.220.2448 (office) or 503.497.5812 (pager)

lamarcheb@metro.dst.or.us; www.oregonzoo.org

Linda D'Ae-Smith, Oregon Zoo, 503.220.5716 (office) or 503.441.7573 (pager)

d'ae-smithl@metro.dst.or.us; www.oregonzoo.org

Egypt Opens at Portland Art Museum

The largest selection of antiquities ever loaned by the Egyptian government for exhibition in North America is now on display at the Portland Art Museum. The Quest for Immortality: Treasures of Ancient Egypt encompasses 115 magnificent objects from Egypt and a life-sized reconstruction of the burial chamber of the New Kingdom pharaoh Thutmose III (1479-1425 BC). The exhibit beautifully illustrates ancient Egyptian beliefs and practices based on the afterlife journey of pharaohs. Rich in artistic and historical importance, the objects on display are among the greatest treasures of The Egyptian Museum in Cairo, the Luxor Museum, and the sites of Tanis and Deir el-Bahari. The exhibition is organized by United Exhibits Group, Copenhagen, and the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., in association with the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Cairo. The Quest for Immortality: Treasures of Ancient Egypt runs through March 4, 2007. For more information on the exhibition, click here. For information on the Portland Art Museum, click here or visit www.portlandartmuseum.org.

Media Contact: Beth Heinrich, Po rtland Art Museum, 503.276.4370

beth.heinrich@pam.org