Towel Animals Bring Smiles!

Hi Everyone,

I received this press release from Sodexho and thought it would be of
interest. If you have missed any of my news' postings, they are
available on my web site.

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Ray
LIGHTHOUSE TRAVEL
800-719-9917 or 805-566-3905
http://www.lighthousetravel.com


SODEXHO USA PUTS SMILES ON HOSPITAL PATIENTS' FACES WITH
CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES' 'TOWEL ANIMAL' CREATIONS

Cozy friends bring warm cheer

GAITHERSBURG, MD, October 11, 2005 - Sodexho USA (NYSE: SDX), the
nation's leading provider of food and facilities management services
is taking the hospital patient experience to a new level by bringing
smiles to patients' faces with the popular "towel animals" featured
aboard Carnival Cruise Lines' ships.
The whimsical creatures - which greet guests as they arrive in
their staterooms each evening - will be introduced into hospitals this
fall.
Carnival is working with Sodexho to train its employees in the
art of creating swan, dog and cobra towel animals. As Sodexho
employees advance their skills, additional animals will be added to
the collection.
"We put the patients at the heart of what we do and
continually look for ways to make a patient's hospital stay as
enjoyable as possible. Our employees thought the loveable 'towel
animals' that Carnival uses to greet its cruise guests with would be a
much appreciated addition to what is often a vulnerable and
uncomfortable situation," said Dudley Abbe, senior vice president of
the patient experience brand for Sodexho Health Care Services. "Our
employees have a very close personal interaction with patients and
their families everyday and they suggested that towel animals would
help brighten their patients' day."
Abbe noted that Carnival's recently published book - "Towel
Animal Creations" which provides helpful page-by-page instructions on
creating the different animals - is serving as a reference manual by
Sodexho's hospital employees.
Commented Carnival President and CEO Bob Dickinson, "'Towel animals'
are one of the many popular features aboard the 'Fun Ships' - enjoyed
by children and adults alike. Carnival is very pleased to work with
Sodexho in teaching hospital employees how to brighten a patient's day
by creating these fun and whimsical creatures."
Carnival is the largest and most popular cruise line in the
world, with a fleet of 21 "Fun Ships" operating voyages ranging from
three to 16 days in length to the Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera,
Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, New England, Bermuda and Europe. The line
will expand its fleet with the launch of two new "Fun Ships" --
110,000-ton Carnival Freedom and an as-yet-unnamed 112,000-ton vessel
-- scheduled to enter service in February 2007 and spring 2008,
respectively.
Sodexho USA (www.sodexhoUSA.com) is the leading provider of food and
facilities management in the United States, with $6.3 billion in
annual revenue and 110,000+ employees. Sodexho USA offers innovative
outsourcing solutions in food service, housekeeping, grounds keeping,
plant operations and maintenance, asset management, and laundry
services to more than 6,000 corporations, health care, long term care
and retirement centers, schools, college campuses, military and remote
sites in North America. Headquartered in Gaithersburg, MD, Sodexho
USA proudly serves as the official food service provider for the U.S.
Marine Corps.