--------------------------------------------------------------------------------







                                  UNITED STATES
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                               ------------------



                                    FORM 8-K


                               ------------------



                                 CURRENT REPORT

                     PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
                         SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934


                                 DATE OF REPORT
                                 March 19, 2001


                         Commission file number 33-11096

                         CRI HOTEL INCOME PARTNERS, L.P.
             Organized pursuant to the Laws of the State of Delaware

                               ------------------



        Internal Revenue Service - Employer Identification No. 52-1500621

                 11200 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852

                                 (301) 468-9200

                               ------------------





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<PAGE>



ITEM 5. OTHER EVENTS
        ------------

     CRI Hotel Income Partners,  L.P. (the Partnership) is a limited partnership
which was formed under the Delaware  Revised Uniform Limited  Partnership Act as
of September  23,  1986,  and will  continue  until  December  31, 2016,  unless
dissolved earlier in accordance with the partnership agreement.  The Partnership
was formed for the purpose of investing in hotels that were  acquired  from Days
Inns of America,  Inc.  The General  Partner of the  Partnership  is CRICO Hotel
Associates I, L.P., (the General Partner), a Delaware limited  partnership,  the
general partner of which is C.R.I.,  Inc., a Delaware  corporation.  The General
Partner has authority in the overall  management and control of the Partnership.
The Assignor Limited Partner of the Partnership is CRICO Hotel Fund, Inc. (CRICO
Hotel Fund).

     On  April  17,  1987,  the  Partnership  registered  a total  of  6,000,000
Beneficial  Assignee  Certificates  (BACs),  at $25 per BAC,  with the SEC. BACs
represent beneficial  assignments of limited partner interests which are held by
CRICO  Hotel  Fund.  BACs were to be offered in series,  with  Series A having a
minimum of 196,000  BACs,  or  $4,900,000,  and a maximum of 2,344,000  BACs, or
$58,600,000.  The Partnership terminated the Series A offering on March 31, 1988
with 868,662  BACs,  or gross  proceeds of  $21,716,550,  and does not intend to
offer another series.

     If more than 5% of the total  outstanding  BACs are transferred due to sale
in  any  one  calendar  year  (not  counting  certain  exempt  transfers),   the
Partnership could be taxed as a "publicly traded  partnership," with potentially
severe  implications  for the Partnership and its investors.  Specifically,  the
Partnership  could be taxed as a corporation  and the income and losses from the
Partnership  would no longer be considered a passive  activity.  From January 1,
2001 through March 14, 2001,  approximately  4.8% of outstanding BACs were sold.
Accordingly,  to remain within the 5% safe harbor, effective March 19, 2001, the
Partnership  halted  recognition of any further sale transfers that could exceed
the safe  harbor  limit  through  December  31,  2001.  This halt will be lifted
effective January 1, 2002.

     Please consult the  Partnership's  annual report on Form 10-KSB at December
31, 2000 for  additional  information  regarding the market for the purchase and
sale of the  Partnership's  BACs,  including a  discussion  of two  unregistered
tender  offers which were made in December  2000 for the purchase of BACs of the
Partnership.



                                      # # #

                                       -2-

<PAGE>
                                    SIGNATURE


         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

                         CRI HOTEL INCOME PARTNERS, L.P.
                         ---------------------------------------------------
                         (Registrant)

                         by:  CRICO Hotel Associates I, L.P.
                              ----------------------------------------------
                              General Partner

                              by:  C.R.I., Inc.
                                   -----------------------------------------
                                   its General Partner



March 28, 2001                     by:  /s/ Michael J. Tuszka
--------------                          ------------------------------------
DATE                                    Michael J. Tuszka
                                          Vice President
                                          and Chief Accounting Officer
                                          (Principal Financial Officer
                                          and Principal Accounting Officer)

                                       -3-