Boston, Massachusetts, August 2005 - The Fairmont Copley Plaza is going to the dogs with the addition of Catie Copley to the hotel staff. She joins the hotel as Canine Ambassador, a role where she will meet and greet guests, be available for scheduled walks and runs, and be a community liaison. Originally trained to be a guide dog by the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, Inc., Catie later developed small cataracts. Although this medical condition should not affect her life in any way, the safety of the guide dog user is always a top priority for the Foundation, so Catie has changed careers.

''Catie is a wonderful companion animal, and we are delighted to be able to offer her services to our guests,'' said Jon Crellin, general manager of the Fairmont Copley Plaza. ''Many guests, whether they are traveling on business or pleasure, miss the companionship they receive from their own pets. Catie makes guests feel more at home at the hotel. Our recent renovations have made the hotel feel very residential and our Canine Ambassador will make guests feel even more comfortable.''

Catie Copley is stationed near the St. James Avenue entrance where she will relax between walks in her cozy dog bed. The Concierge staff maintains an appointment book where guests can schedule walks and runs with her. In addition, she will also greet guests in the lobby and assist bell staff with room deliveries. When guests take Catie for a walk around the city, they receive a walk pack that includes a booklet highlighting Catie's favorite Boston walks as well as the commands that she knows and a biscuit for a walk well done. Catie, a black Labrador retriever, even has her own business cards and e-mail address. Guests may write to Catie at Catie.Copley@fairmont.com.

''We are pleased Catie has become the Fairmont Copley Plaza's Canine Ambassador,'' said Wells B. Jones, CEO of the Guide Dog Foundation. ''This represents an exciting partnership and a new way for our career-change dogs to get out into the community. We are confident that Catie will do well at the hotel and succeed in enhancing the guest experience.''

The Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, where Catie was born and trained, is located in Smithtown, New York. Since 1946, the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind Inc., a not-for-profit organization, has been providing guide dogs, free of charge, to people who are blind or visually impaired and seek the increased independence, mobility and companionship that a guide dog provides. The dogs are bred for gentleness and sound temperament; they are trained to maneuver around obstacles and guide their handler to safety. The Guide Dog Foundation is supported entirely by donations from generous individuals, corporations and foundations, businesses and service/fraternal clubs. For more information please go to www.guidedog.org.

Catie will be available for four walks per day and will get a healthy two-hour siesta in the middle of her shift. Like all hotel staff members, at the end of the day Catie goes home. She lives in Malden with Jim Carey, director of concierge services and 26-year veteran of the Fairmont Copley Plaza, with his wife and their three children.

For more information, Please contact:

Suzanne M. Wenz
Regional Director of Public Relations
Public Relations
Tel: (617) 867-8574
Fax: (617) 437-0194
Email: suzanne.wenz@fairmont.com