Exhibit (a)(8)


                      Bass PLC Completes Tender Offer for
                            Bristol Hotels & Resorts


         London, England -- April 3, 2000 -- Bass PLC announced today that its
tender offer to purchase all outstanding shares of Bristol Hotels & Resorts
(NYSE: BH) at $9.50 per share in cash expired at 12:00 midnight, New York City
time on Friday, March 31, 2000. Bass has accepted for payment all Bristol
shares validly tendered and not withdrawn as of the expiration of the offer.

         Based on a preliminary count by the depositary for the offer,
15,561,859 shares of Bristol (representing approximately 87.9% of the
outstanding shares) were tendered pursuant to the offer and not withdrawn
(including shares tendered pursuant to a guarantee of delivery). Such tendered
shares, together with Shares owned by affiliates of Bass, represent
approximately 97.6% of the outstanding shares of Bristol. Payment for the
shares accepted for payment is expected to be made promptly.

         The tender offer will be followed by a merger of BHR North America,
Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Bass, with and into Bristol.
Pursuant to the merger, those Bristol stockholders who did not tender their
shares in the offer and who do not seek appraisal rights of their shares
pursuant to applicable provisions of Delaware law will have their shares
converted into the right to receive $9.50 per share net to the stockholder in
cash. Upon completion of the merger, Bristol will become an indirect, wholly
owned subsidiary of Bass. Bass plans to proceed promptly with the steps
necessary to complete the merger.

         Bass Hotels & Resorts(R) [LON:BAS, NYSE:BAS (ADRs)], the hotel
business of Bass PLC of the United Kingdom, operates or franchises more than
2,800 hotels and 450,000 guest rooms in more than 90 countries and territories.
The following are some of the service marks owned by Bass Hotels & Resorts,
Inc., its subsidiaries or affiliates: Holiday Inn(R), Crowne Plaza(R), Holiday
Inn Express(R), Holiday Inn Select(R), Holiday Inn Garden CourtSM, Holiday Inn
SunSpree(R) Resorts, Staybridge Suites(R) , Holidex(R), Priority Club(R)
Worldwide, Inter-Continental(R), Forum(R), and Six Continents Club(R) . Bass
Hotels & Resorts, Inc. offers information and reservations capability on the
Internet - www.basshotels.com, www.interconti.com for Inter-Continental Hotels
and Resorts, www.crowneplaza.com for Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts,
www.holiday-inn.com for Holiday Inn hotels, www.hiexpress.com for Holiday Inn
Express hotels, and www.staybridge.com for Staybridge Suites.

         Dallas-based Bristol Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: BH) is one of the largest
independent hotel operators in the United States and operates the largest
number of Bass Hotels & Resorts branded hotels in the world. Bristol's 112
hotels include nearly 30,000 rooms in 24 states and Canada. Bristol offers
additional information and reservations capability on the Internet -
www.bristolhotels.com.