San Diego Rallies Around 365ft. Rappel for Brain Cancer Research

 

82 Participants, including local celebrities, gather their courage to rappel 365 ft. from the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego to raise critical funds for brain tumor research in San Diego, CA

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (September 9, 2014) – On October 31st and November 1st, 2014, brave participants fighting to end brain cancer will
rappel 365 ft. and go Over the Edge for Brain Cancer (@OTE4BrainCancer). In
its second year, @OTE4BrainCancer has received overwhelming response from the San Diego community, generating a sold-out event. 82 participants,
known as “edgers”, will raise $200,000 for Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure to be directed to San Diego-based brain cancer
research.

The two-day event springs into action on Halloween as this impressive list of courageous VIPs join the fight against brain cancer and rappel down
the Manchester Grand Hyatt, the city’s tallest waterfront hotel:

  • Papa Doug Manchester, Chairman, and Stephanie Brown, Snr. Director, Marketing and Public Relations, U-T San Diego
  • Hannah and Susie Nancarrow, family of FOX 5 Anchor, Loren Nancarrow
  • Maria Parker, record setting long-distance cyclist, rappelling in Google Glass
  • Dr. Bob Carter, Chief of Neurosurgery, and Dr. Clark Chen, Co-Director of Neurosurgical Oncology, UC San Diego Health System; both in their 2 nd year as participants @OTE4BrainCancer
  • Monika Carlson: San Diego brain tumor survivor featured in SELF magazine issue re: tutu fashion; also going over for the 2nd
    time

This event is all about forming a united front to fight a terrible disease. “We believe that finding a cure to brain cancer takes a strong collaborative
effort. Since 2001, we have partnered with over 40 medical research institutions and companies in our efforts to develop better treatment for patients. We
are grateful to the San Diego community for joining with us to go Over the Edge and show fearlessness in the face of brain cancer,” Max Wallace, President
and CEO, Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure.

On November 1st, 72 participants will show their fearlessness as they make their rappel. Spectators and supporters are invited to gather on the
pool deck of the Manchester Grand Hyatt to cheer on participants while enjoying high-energy entertainment and partaking in fun, food and fitness
opportunities available.

As rappel spots for this year’s event are sold out, the team at Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure encourages San Diegans to try their luck at winning the last
spot available by participating in the opportunity drawing! Interested parties can obtain their tickets at the following locations, and the winner must be
present to rappel at 3:00 p.m. on November 1, 2014.

  • October 16, 2014 from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Mesa Rim Climbing and Fitness Center
: Raffle and Rappel Night (10110 Mesa Rim Rd, SD, CA 92121)

  • November 1, 2014 from 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Over the Edge for Brain Cancer at the Manchester Grand Hyatt
(1 Market Place, SD, CA 92101)

Confirmed sponsors and partners for this year’s @OTE4BrainCancer include presenting sponsor, The Rick Oehme Foundation, as well as the Manchester Grand Hyatt, U-T San Diego, Heritage Senior
Care, Brain Bash, The Case Foundation, Genentech, Araiza Melange Photography, The Tug McGraw Foundation, Mesa Rim Climbing and Fitness Center, SDSU KCR
College Radio, The Beer for Brains Foundation, The BraveCort Foundation and Over the Edge.

When:

Friday, October 31, 2014: 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

VIP/Media Day: Manchester Grand Hyatt; 1 Market Place, San Diego, CA 92101 – 4th Floor Pool Deck



Media interested in covering the VIP/Media day on Friday, October 31, 2014 are asked to contact Stephanie DiStefano at 619-630-6305 or sdistefano@abc2.org.

Saturday, November 1, 2014: 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Main Event Day: Manchester Grand Hyatt; 1 Market Place, San Diego, CA 92101 – 4th Floor Pool Deck

Rappel Opportunity Drawing at 3:00 p.m.


What:
Over the Edge for Brain Cancer is a unique and exciting opportunity in which participants or “edgers” rappel down the Manchester Grand Hyatt, the tallest
building on the waterfront! Edgers raise a minimum of $1,500 to participate, and all event proceeds benefit San Diego-based brain cancer research.

Why:

Brain cancer is:

• the second leading cause of cancer deaths among children and young adults.

• extremely heterogeneous, with 120 different types of tumors, all of which have unknown causes.

• not as rare as you might think. Today there are more than 600,000 people in the US living with a brain tumor diagnosis and another 66,000 new diagnosis
are expected this year.

###

About Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure

Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure (ABC2) is a venture philanthropy 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization that drives cutting-edge research and treatments for brain tumors. Through strategic partnerships with medical research centers, early-stage biotechnology companies and large multi-national pharmaceutical companies ABC2 has awarded more than $20 million in brain tumor research funding to highly qualified investigators and physician-scientists from 42 institutions and companies. For more information, please visit: www.abc2.org

 

About Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego

Located on the Gaslamp Quarter’s waterfront, Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego overlooks San Diego Bay and many rooms offer spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean too. This urban resort defines San Diego’s skyline and is comprised of two stylish towers, the 33-story Seaport Tower and the 40-story Harbor Tower, the latter of which is 497-feet tall, making it the tallest building on the west coast waterfront. Connecting the two towers is a four-story building that boasts a rooftop pool with a 25,000 square-foot deck. The stylish Hyatt includes 76 newly renovated one-and-two-bedroom suites, spa with a full-service salon and an adults-only pool, tennis courts, bay-view pool and deck, a fitness center and several award-winning restaurants and lounges – most all overlooking the bay. It is adjacent to Seaport Village, near Horton Plaza and convenient to San Diego International Airport, San Diego Zoo and Sea World. In 2013, the hotel began a multi-million dollar renovation, with the transformation of all 1,628 guest rooms and suites. The property continued with additional updates to suites, meetings spaces and fitness center in 2014. The next phase of renovations will include food and beverage outlets including the iconic Top of the Hyatt; spa, meeting space and more. The entire project is scheduled to be complete by 2016. To keep up to date with the renovation and see how it’s unfolding, visit manchestergrandhyattrenovation.com or follow #NewMGHyatt. For additional information, please visit the Company’s website at www.manchestergrand.hyatt.com

Manchester Firm Obtains Financing for Austin Hotel

Manchester Texas Financial Group has secured financing to build a 1,066-room convention hotel in Austin, clearing the way for construction to begin next month on the $370 million project.

Los Angeles-based Colony Capital will be providing financing for the new hotel, which, at 595 feet tall, is slated to be the second-tallest structure in downtown Austin. Manchester Texas Financial is a subsidiary of Manchester Financial Group, which is U-T San Diego Publisher “Papa” Doug Manchester’s San Diego-based development firm.

The planned Fairmont Austin, expected to open by June 2017, will be the first to have direct access to the Austin Convention Center, made possible via an aerial promenade. The hotel’s architect, Gensler, noted that the building was designed to be highly sustainable, incorporating an energy-efficient exterior “skin”’ and building materials.

Austin, particularly the downtown area, is poised for significant growth. A number of other hotels are already under construction, including the 1,012-room JW Marriott convention hotel, a Westin hotel and the 16-story Hotel Van Zandt, a project being developed by JMI Realty, the real estate arm of former Padres owner John Moores.

“We are extremely bullish as to our 1,066-room hotel providing the critical mass of convention center hotel rooms to accommodate the growing demand for citywide conventions,” said Manchester.

The combined equity contribution of the developer and the financing from Colony Capital will allow construction to get under way Nov. 3. Colony is a private international investment firm that has made investments in some 4,300 hotels in more than 100 countries. Overseeing the Austin project is Manchester’s son, Douglas W. Manchester.

“Having had the privilege of working with both ‘Papa’ Doug Manchester and the Manchester Group for over a decade, we see this as a continuation of a great and valued relationship,” Thomas J. Barrack Jr., CEO and founder of Colony Capital, said in a prepared statement. “We are looking forward to yet again working with ‘Papa’ Doug, his son Doug and Fairmont in the dynamic, growing city of Austin.”

Manchester, who has extensive experience in hotel development, is responsible for both the San Diego Marriott Marquis & Marina and the Manchester Grand Hyatt in downtown San Diego, which are now owned by Host Hotels & Resorts. Manchester currently owns the Grand Del Mar.

The Fairmont Austin, beyond its nearly 1,066 rooms, will feature more than 106,000 square feet of meeting space, a 19,000-square-foot outdoor deck, and four levels of parking totaling nearly 1.4 million square feet.

Earlier this year, Hunt Construction Group, which also built the San Diego Marriott, was awarded a $247 million contract to build the Austin hotel.

Manchester’s Austin Hotel Ready to Break Ground

Construction to get under way in early November

The planned Fairmont Austin will rise nearly 600 feet and link to the convention center via an aerial promenade. — Rendering courtesy of Gensler

Manchester Texas Financial Group has secured financing to build a 1,066-room convention hotel in Austin, clearing the way for construction to begin next month on the $370 million project.

Los Angeles-based Colony Capital will be providing financing for the new hotel, which, at 595 feet tall, is slated to be the second-tallest structure in downtown Austin. Manchester Texas Financial is a subsidiary of Manchester Financial Group, which is U-T San Diego Publisher “Papa” Doug Manchester’s San Diego-based development firm.

The planned Fairmont Austin, expected to open by June 2017, will be the first to have direct access to the Austin Convention Center, made possible via an aerial promenade. The hotel’s architect, Gensler, noted that the building was designed to be highly sustainable, incorporating an energy-efficient exterior “skin”’ and building materials.

Austin, particularly the downtown area, is poised for significant growth. A number of other hotels are already under construction, including the 1,012-room JW Marriott convention hotel, a Westin hotel and the 16-story Hotel Van Zandt, a project being developed by JMI Realty, the real estate arm of former Padres owner John Moores.

“We are extremely bullish as to our 1,066-room hotel providing the critical mass of convention center hotel rooms to accommodate the growing demand for citywide conventions,” said Manchester.

The combined equity contribution of the developer and the financing from Colony Capital will allow construction to get under way Nov. 3. Colony is a private international investment firm that has made investments in some 4,300 hotels in more than 100 countries. Overseeing the Austin project is Manchester’s son, Douglas W. Manchester.

“Having had the privilege of working with both ‘Papa’ Doug Manchester and the Manchester Group for over a decade, we see this as a continuation of a great and valued relationship,” Thomas J. Barrack Jr., CEO and founder of Colony Capital, said in a prepared statement. “We are looking forward to yet again working with ‘Papa’ Doug, his son Doug and Fairmont in the dynamic, growing city of Austin.”

Manchester, who has extensive experience in hotel development, is responsible for both the San Diego Marriott Marquis & Marina and the Manchester Grand Hyatt in downtown San Diego, which are now owned by Host Hotels & Resorts. Manchester currently owns the Grand Del Mar.

The Fairmont Austin, beyond its nearly 1,066 rooms, will feature more than 106,000 square feet of meeting space, a 19,000-square-foot outdoor deck, and four levels of parking totaling nearly 1.4 million square feet.

Earlier this year, Hunt Construction Group, which also built the San Diego Marriott, was awarded a $247 million contract to build the Austin hotel.