HOST MARRIOTT PURCHASES  CONTROLLING  INTEREST IN CHESAPEAKE HOTEL PARTNERSHIP -
SIX FULL SERVICE HOTELS LOCATED THROUGHOUT UNITED STATES FOR TOTAL CONSIDERATION
OF $276 MILLION

BETHESDA, MD, September 12, 1997--Host Marriott Corporation (NYSE:HMT) announced
today that it has successfully  completed its purchase of the partnership  units
in the Chesapeake  Hotel Limited  Partnership.  The Partnership owns six hotels,
the Key  Bridge  Marriott,  the  Chicago  O'Hare  Marriott,  the  Boston  Newton
Marriott,  the Denver Southeast Marriott, the Bloomington Minnesota Marriott and
the Saddlebrook New Jersey  Marriott.  The purchase will result in the company's
acquisition  of 434  units or  98.6% of the  limited  partnership  units  for an
aggregate  payment of $31.5  million.  Combined  with its  General  Partner  and
existing limited partnership positions,  the company now owns through affiliates
99.9% of this  Partnership.

The six hotels  represent a total of 3,054 rooms and the 1997 EBITDA is expected
to total approximately $36.4 million, including $12.4 million of interest income
related to advances which would have been  consolidated on the company's  income
statement absent the purchase.  The Partnership currently has mortgage and other
debt which  total  approximately  $4.2  million,  plus debt  advanced by Company
affiliates which totals approximately $240.3 million.

Terence C. Golden, president and chief executive officer, stated, "This purchase
represents our third partnership  transaction in 1997, and our sixth in the last
18 months.  These  transactions  have been  designed  to respond to our  limited
partners'  requests for  liquidity,  as well as provide Host  Marriott  with the
opportunity to pursue  strategic  acquisitions.  Completion of this  transaction
increases our total acquisitions for 1997 to approximately $1.3 billion."

The Key Bridge Marriott is a full-service  hotel with 588 deluxe guest rooms and
20 suites.  The hotel is located on the banks of the Potomac River,  overlooking
Washington,  D.C. and Georgetown.

The Chicago O'Hare  Marriott is a full-service  hotel with 681 guest rooms.  The
hotel is  centrally  located to all of Chicago and is only 5 minutes from O'Hare
International Airport.

The Boston Newton  Marriott is a  full-service  hotel with 430 guest rooms.  The
hotel is located on 17 acres of park land, 15 minutes from Boston, and overlooks
the Charles River.

The Denver Southeast  Marriott is a full-service  hotel with 595 guest rooms. On
11 acres overlooking the Rockies, the hotel is 15 minutes from downtown Denver.

The Bloomington Minnesota Marriott is a full-service hotel with 479 guest rooms.
Located 5 minutes from Minneapolis  International  Airport,  the hotel overlooks
the Mall of America and is 15 minutes from the heart of Minneapolis.

The  Saddlebrook  New Jersey  Marriott  is a  full-service  hotel with 281 guest
rooms.  The hotel is located at the intersection of the Garden State Parkway and
I-80 and is close to all the major New York Airports.

This purchase of the limited  partnership units also completes the settlement of
litigation initiated against the Company by the Partnership's  limited partners.
Terms of the settlement were approved by the appropriate courts.

Host  Marriott is a lodging real estate  company which  currently  owns or holds
controlling  interests in 94 upscale and luxury  full-service  hotel  properties
operated  primarily under the Marriott and Ritz-Carlton brand names. The company
also  serves  as  general  partner  and  holds  minority  interests  in  various
unconsolidated  partnerships  that own 244 lodging  properties,  24 of which are
full-service  hotels.

Certain  matters   discussed  within  this  news  release  are   forward-looking
statements  within the meaning of the Private  Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and
as such may involve known and unknown  risks,  uncertainties,  and other factors
which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Host Marriott
to be different from any future results,  performance or achievements  expressed
or implied by such forward-looking  statements.  Although Host Marriott believes
the expectations  reflected in such forward  -looking  statements are based upon
reasonable  assumptions,  it can give no assurance that its expectations will be
attained.  These risks are detailed from time to time in the  company's  filings
with the Securities and Exchange Commission.