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                                                                  Exhibit 10.9.1


                          INTERSTATE HOTELS CORPORATION

                 EMPLOYEE'S NONQUALIFIED STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT

                                    RECITALS:

                  A. *(the "Optionee") is an officer, employee, independent
director or other key person (including consultants and prospective employees)
of Interstate Hotels Corporation (the "Company") or a Subsidiary.

                  B. The Optionee has been selected as a participant in the
Interstate Hotels Corporation 1999 Equity Incentive Plan (the "Plan").

                  C. The Board of Directors of the Company (the "Board") has
authorized the execution of a stock option agreement in the form hereof as of
_________________, 1999 (the "Date of Grant").

                  D. The option granted hereby is intended to be a nonqualified
stock option and will not be treated as an "incentive stock option" within the
meaning of that term under Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

                  NOW, THEREFORE, pursuant to the Plan and subject to the terms
and conditions thereof and to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the
Company hereby grants to the Optionee a Nonqualified Option (the "Option") to
purchase * shares of Class A Common Stock of the Company (the "Option Shares")
at an exercise price per Option Share equal to $____ (the "Exercise Price").

         1.       VESTING OF OPTION. (a) Unless terminated as hereinafter
provided, the Option will become exercisable cumulatively to the extent of
one-third of the Option Shares after each of the first three anniversaries of
the Date of Grant for so long as the Optionee remains in the continuous employ
of the Company or a Subsidiary. For the purposes of this Agreement, the
continuous employment of the Optionee with the Company or a Subsidiary will not
be deemed to have been interrupted, and the Optionee will not be deemed to have
ceased to be an employee of the Company or a Subsidiary, by reason of the
transfer of his or her employment among the Company and its Subsidiaries or a
leave of absence approved by the Company.

                  (b) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 1(a) hereof, if
the Optionee's employment with the Company or a Subsidiary terminates prior to
the third anniversary of the Date of Grant by reason of his or her death or
disability, or if the Optionee's employment with the Company or a Subsidiary is
terminated by the Company or a Subsidiary prior to the third anniversary of the
Date of Grant for any reason other than Cause, the Option will become fully
exercisable.

                  (c) Notwithstanding the provisions of Sections 1(a) and 1(b)
hereof, if a Change in Control (as defined in the Plan) occurs while the
Optionee is employed by the Company or a Subsidiary and prior to the termination
of the Option as provided in Section 2 hereof, the Option will thereupon become
fully exercisable.



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                  (d) To the extent that the Option becomes exercisable in
accordance with the terms of this Section 1, it may be exercised in whole or in
part from time to time thereafter.

         2.       TERMINATION OF OPTION. The Option will terminate automatically
and without further action on the earliest of the following dates:

                  (a) the date of the voluntary termination by the Optionee of
his or her employment with the Company or a Subsidiary;

                  (b) the date of the termination by the Company or a Subsidiary
of the Optionee's employment for Cause;

                  (c) 360 days after the termination of the Optionee's
employment with the Company or a Subsidiary by reason of his or her death;

                  (d) 180 days after the termination of the Optionee's
employment with the Company or a Subsidiary by reason of his or her disability;

                  (e) 30 days after the termination by the Company or a
Subsidiary of the Optionee's employment therewith for any reason other than as
described in Section 2(b) hereof; or

                  (f) ten years after the Date of Grant, if the Optionee remains
in the continuous employ of the Company or a Subsidiary during that ten-year
period.

         3.       PAYMENT OF EXERCISE PRICE. The Exercise Price may be paid (a)
in cash, by certified or bank check or other cash equivalent acceptable to the
Board of Directors of the Company or the committee thereof responsible for the
administration of the Plan (in either case, the "Administrator"), (b) by actual
or constructive transfer to the Company of nonforfeitable, nonrestricted shares
of Class A Common Stock of the Company ("Stock") that have been purchased by the
Optionee on the open market or that have been owned by the Optionee for at least
six months prior to the date of exercise, or (c) by any combination of the
foregoing methods of payment. Nonforfeitable, nonrestricted shares of Stock that
are transferred by the Optionee in payment of all or any part of the Exercise
Price will be valued on the basis of their fair market value as determined by
the Administrator from time to time. The requirement of payment in cash will be
deemed satisfied if the Optionee makes arrangements that are satisfactory to the
Administrator with a broker that is a member of the National Association of
Securities Dealers, Inc. to sell a sufficient number of the Option Shares that
are being purchased pursuant to the exercise so that the net proceeds of the
sale transaction will at least equal the amount of the aggregate Exercise Price
and pursuant to which the broker undertakes to deliver to the Company the amount
of the aggregate Exercise Price not later than the date on which the sale
transaction will settle in the ordinary course of business.

         4.       COMPLIANCE WITH LAW. The Company will make reasonable efforts
to comply with all applicable securities laws; provided, however, that
notwithstanding any other provision of this agreement, the Option will not be
exercisable if the exercise thereof would result in a violation of any such law.


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         5.       RIGHT TO TERMINATE EMPLOYMENT AND ADJUST COMPENSATION. No
provision of this agreement will limit in any way whatsoever any right that the
Company or a Subsidiary may otherwise have to terminate the employment or adjust
the compensation of the Optionee at any time.

         6.       RELATION TO OTHER BENEFITS. Any economic or other benefit to
the Optionee under this Agreement or the Plan will not be taken into account in
determining any benefits to which the Optionee may be entitled under any
profit-sharing, retirement or other benefit or compensation plan maintained by
the Company or a Subsidiary and will not affect the amount of any life insurance
coverage available to any beneficiary under any life insurance plan covering
employees of the Company or a Subsidiary.

         7.       THE PLAN. The Option evidenced hereby will be subject to the
provisions of the Plan, including without limitation the provisions thereof
relating to the transferability and exercisability of Option rights (including
the Option), adjustments and withholding taxes, as the Plan may from time to
time be amended, provided, however, that no such amendment adversely affects the
rights of the Optionee hereunder without the Optionee's written consent thereto.

         8.       SEVERABILITY. In the event that one or more of the provisions
of this Agreement may be invalidated for any reason by a court, any provision so
invalidated will be deemed to be separable from the other provisions hereof, and
the remaining provisions hereof will continue to be valid and fully enforceable.

         9.       GOVERNING LAW. This Agreement is made under, and will be
construed in accordance with, the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,
without giving effect to the principle of conflict of laws of such Commonwealth.

         10.      CERTAIN DEFINITIONS. "Cause" means any act or omission by the
Optionee that constitutes cause for termination of employment under any
employment agreement or employment letter between the Optionee and the Company
or any Subsidiary.

         This Agreement is executed by the Company on this ____ day of
_______________, 1999, effective as of the Date of Grant.


                                      INTERSTATE HOTELS CORPORATION


                                      By____________________________________


The undersigned Optionee hereby acknowledges receipt of an executed original of
this Agreement and accepts the Option granted hereunder, subject to the terms
and conditions of the Plan and the terms and conditions hereinabove set forth.

Date:_____________________            ______________________________________
                                                     Optionee


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