Morgans Hotel Group Closes on Purchase of The Light Group

NEW YORK, Nov. 30, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Morgans Hotel Group Co. (NASDAQ: MHGC) ("Morgans" or the "Company"), today announced that it has closed on its purchase of a 90% controlling interest in The Light Group ("TLG"), a leading lifestyle food and beverage company currently operating numerous venues for MGM Resorts International ("MGM").  This acquisition, while being immediately accretive to the Company's earnings, also provides Morgans with a first class food and beverage platform, a creative and experienced management team, and renowned brand names.

TLG is a leading hospitality management company with a ten-year track record of delivering cutting-edge food and beverage experiences at world class properties. TLG operates numerous venues in Las Vegas pursuant to management agreements with MGM, including nightclubs, such as The Bank Nightclub at Bellagio Hotel and Casino and Haze at ARIA Resort and Casino at CityCenter, restaurants, such as Yellowtail Japanese Restaurant & Lounge at Bellagio Hotel and Casino and Diablos Mexican Cantina at Monte Carlo Hotel, pool lounges and bars. 

Total consideration for the acquisition is approximately $46.5 million, of which $28.5 million was paid in cash.  The remaining $18.0 million is subject to the achievement of $18.0 million of EBITDA from TLG's existing business over the 27 months subsequent to the transactions' closing and is represented by convertible notes that bear interest at 8%, mature four years from the date of closing and are convertible into shares of the Company at $9.50 per share.  

About Morgans Hotel Group

Morgans Hotel Group Co. (NASDAQ: MHGC) is widely credited as the creator of the first "boutique" hotel and a continuing leader of the hotel industry's boutique sector.  Morgans Hotel Group operates Morgans, Royalton and Hudson in New York, Delano and Shore Club in South Beach, Mondrian in Los Angeles, South Beach and New York, Clift in San Francisco, Ames in Boston, Sanderson and St Martins Lane in London, and a hotel in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.  Morgans also owns, or has ownership interests in, several of these hotels.  Morgans Hotel Group has other property transactions in various stages of completion including a Delano in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, a Delano in Turkey, a Mondrian in Doha, Qatar, and a Mondrian in Nassau, The Bahamas, and a hotel in New York to be branded with one of MHG's existing brands. Morgans also owns a 90% controlling interest in The Light Group, a leading lifestyle food and beverage company.  For more information please visit www.morganshotelgroup.com.

Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements

This press release may contain certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, the operating performance of our investments and financing needs and prediction of certain future other events. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate" "believe," "project," or other similar words or expressions. These forward-looking statements reflect our current views about future events and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and changes in circumstances that may cause our actual results or other future events to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statement. Important risks and factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to economic, business, competitive market and regulatory conditions such as: a sustained downturn in economic and market conditions, particularly levels of spending in the business, travel and leisure industries; continued tightness in the global credit markets; general volatility of the capital markets and our ability to access the capital markets; our ability to refinance our current outstanding debt and to repay outstanding debt as such debt matures; our ability to protect the value of our name, image and brands and our intellectual property; risks related to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, volcanoes and hurricanes; hostilities, including future terrorist attacks, or fear of hostilities that affect travel; and other risk factors discussed in Morgans' Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010, and other documents filed by Morgans with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. All forward-looking statements in this press release are made as of the date hereof, based upon information known to management as of the date hereof, and Morgans assumes no obligations to update or revise any of its forward-looking statements even if experience or future changes show that indicated results or events will not be realized.

SOURCE Morgans Hotel Group Co.

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