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                                                                    EXHIBIT 10.9

                           EXTENDED STAY AMERICA, INC.

                         1998 EMPLOYEE STOCK OPTION PLAN

         1. Statement of Purpose. The purpose of this Stock Option Plan (the
"Plan") is to benefit Extended Stay America, Inc. (the "Company") and its
subsidiaries by offering certain present and future key individuals a favorable
opportunity to become holders of stock in the Company over a period of years,
thereby giving them a stake in the growth and prosperity of the Company and
encouraging the continuance of their services with the Company or its
subsidiaries.

         2. Administration. The Plan shall be administered by the Compensation
Committee (the "Committee") of the board of directors of the Company (the "Board
of Directors"), whose interpretation of the terms and provisions of the Plan and
whose determination of matters pertaining to options granted under the Plan
shall be final and conclusive. The Committee shall be composed of two or more
disinterested members of the Board of Directors of the Company.

         3. Eligibility. Options shall be granted only to key employees and
consultants of the Company and its subsidiaries (including officers of the
Company and its subsidiaries but excluding members of the Committee) selected
initially and from time to time thereafter by the Committee on the basis of the
special importance of their services in the management, development and
operations of the Company or its subsidiaries (each such individual receiving
options granted under the Plan and each other person entitled to exercise an
option granted under the Plan is referred to herein as an "Optionee").

         4. Granting of Options. (a) The Committee may grant options to
employees, directors and consultants of the Company and its subsidiaries;
provided, however, that members of the Committee shall not be eligible to
receive grants of options under the Plan. Pursuant to the Plan, a maximum of
6,000,000 shares of the common stock, par value $.01 per share, of the Company
(the "Common Stock") may be purchased from the Company, subject to adjustment as
provided in Paragraph 10 hereof; provided, however, that the maximum number of
shares subject to all options granted to an individual under the Plan shall in
no event exceed 50% of the shares of Common Stock authorized for issuance under
the Plan. Options granted under the Plan are intended not to be treated as
incentive stock options as defined in Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code
of 1986, as amended (the "Code").

                  (b) No options shall be granted under the Plan subsequent to
the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the Plan. In the event that an option
expires or is terminated or canceled unexercised as to any shares, such released
shares may again be optioned (including a grant in substitution for a canceled
option). Shares subject to options may be made available from unissued or
reacquired shares of Common Stock.

                  (c) Nothing contained in the Plan or in any option granted
pursuant thereto shall confer upon any Optionee any right to be continued in the
employment of, or a consulting arrangement with, the Company or any subsidiary,
or interfere in any way with the right of the Company or its subsidiaries to
terminate his or her employment or consulting arrangement at any time.
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         5. Option Price. The option price of any option granted under the Plan
shall be determined by the Committee and shall not be less than the fair market
value of the shares of Common Stock subject to the option on the date of the
grant of such option. Unless the Committee otherwise determines, for purposes of
this Paragraph 5, "fair market value" shall be the average of the highest and
lowest sales prices of the Common Stock reported on the New York Stock Exchange
("NYSE") (or on the principal national stock exchange on which it is listed or
quotation service on which it is listed) (as reported in The Wall Street
Journal) on the date the option is granted (or, if the date of grant is not a
trading date, on the first trading date immediately preceding the date of
grant). In the event that the Common Stock is not listed on the NYSE or any
other national stock exchange, the fair market value of the shares of Common
Stock for all purposes of this Plan shall be reasonably determined by the
Committee.

         6. Duration of Options, Increments and Extensions. (a) Subject to the
provisions of Paragraph 8 hereof, each option shall be for such term of not more
than ten years as shall be determined by the Committee at the date of the grant.
Each option shall become exercisable with respect to one-fourth of the total
number of shares subject to the option 12 months after the date of its grant and
with respect to an additional one-fourth at the end of each 12-month period
thereafter during the succeeding three years.

                  (b) Notwithstanding any other provisions of the Plan to the
contrary, the Committee may in its discretion (i) specifically provide as of the
date of the grant for another time or times of exercise; (ii) accelerate the
exercisability of any option, subject to such terms and conditions as the
Committee deems necessary and appropriate to effectuate the purposes of the
Plan, which may include, without limitation, a requirement that the Optionee
grant to the Committee an option to repurchase all or a portion of the number of
shares acquired upon exercise of the accelerated option for their fair market
value, as determined by the Committee, as of the date of acceleration; (iii) at
any time prior to the expiration or termination of any options previously
granted, extend the term of any option (including such options held by officers)
for such additional period or periods as the Committee, in its discretion, may
determine. In no event, however, shall the aggregate option period with respect
to any option, including the original term of the option and any extensions
thereof, exceed ten years. Subject to the foregoing, all or any part of the
options as to which the right to exercise has accrued may be exercised at the
time of such accrual or at any time or times thereafter during the option term.

                  (c) In the event of a change in control of the Company, all
outstanding options shall become immediately exercisable. For the purposes of
the Plan, the term "change in control" shall mean (1) that any person is or
becomes the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of at least 50% of the
combined voting power of the Company's outstanding securities, except by reason
of a repurchase by the Company of its own securities, or (2) that a change in
the composition of the Board of Directors of the Company occurs as a result of
which fewer than one-half of the incumbent directors are directors who either
had been directors of the Company 24 months prior to such change or were elected
or nominated for election to the Board of Directors with the approval of at
least a majority of the directors who had been directors of the Company 24
months prior to such change and who were still in office at the time of the
election or nomination.
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         7. Exercise of Option. (a) An option may be exercised by giving written
notice to the Committee, specifying the number of shares to be purchased. The
option price for the number of shares of Common Stock for which the option is
exercised shall become immediately due and payable; provided, however, that in
lieu of cash an Optionee may, with the approval of the Committee, exercise his
or her option by (i) delivering a promissory note in accordance with the terms
of the Plan and in a form specified by the Company; (ii) tendering to the
Company shares of Common Stock owned by him or her and with the certificates
therefor registered in his or her name, having a fair market value equal to the
cash exercise price of the shares being purchased; or (iii) delivery of an
irrevocable written notice instructing the Company to deliver the shares of
Common Stock being purchased to a broker selected by the Company, subject to the
broker's written guarantee to deliver the cash to the Company, in each case
equal to the full consideration of the exercise price for the shares of Common
Stock being purchased. For this purpose, the per share value of Common Stock
shall be the fair market value on the date of exercise (or, if the date of
exercise is not a trading date, on the first trading date immediately preceding
the date of exercise), which shall, unless the Committee otherwise determines,
be the average of the highest and lowest sales prices of the Common Stock
reported on the NYSE (or on the principal national stock exchange on which it is
listed or quotation service on which it is listed) (as reported in The Wall
Street Journal) on such date.

                  (b) In connection with the exercise of options granted under
the Plan, the Company may make loans to such Optionees as the Committee, in its
discretion, may determine. Such loans shall be subject to the following terms
and conditions and such other terms and conditions as the Committee shall
determine to be not inconsistent with the Plan. Such loans shall bear interest
at such rates as the Committee shall determine from time to time, which rates
may be below then current market rates or may be made without interest. In no
event may any such loan exceed the fair market value, at the date of exercise,
of the shares covered by the option, or portion thereof, exercised by the
Optionee. No loan shall have an initial term exceeding two years, but any such
loan may be renewable at the discretion of the Committee. When a loan shall have
been made, shares of Common Stock having a fair market value at least equal to
150 percent of the principal amount of the loan shall be pledged by the Optionee
to the Company as security for payment of the unpaid balance of the loan.

                  (c) At the time of the exercise of any option, the Company may
require, as a condition of the exercise of such option, the Optionee to pay the
Company an amount equal to the amount of the tax the Company may be required to
withhold to obtain a deduction for federal and state income tax purposes as a
result of the exercise of such option by the Optionee or to comply with
applicable law. An Optionee may, with the approval of the Committee, make an
election to satisfy the tax withholding obligation by either (1) tendering to
the Company shares of Common Stock owned by him or her and with the certificates
therefor registered in his or her name, having a fair market value equal to the
tax withholding obligation, (2) deduct from any cash payment pursuant to any
broker-assisted option exercise (net to Optionee in cash or shares) an amount
sufficient to satisfy any withholding tax requirements, or (3) instructing the
Company to withhold from the shares of Common Stock otherwise issuable upon the
exercise of the option that number of shares having a fair market value equal to
the tax withholding obligation. The value of the shares to be delivered or
withheld shall be based on the fair market value of the shares of Common Stock
on the date of exercise, which shall, unless the Committee otherwise
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determines, be the average of the highest and lowest sales prices of the Common 
Stock reported on the NYSE (or on the principal national stock exchange on 
which it is listed or quotation service on which it is listed) (as reported in
The Wall Street Journal) on the date of exercise.

                 (d) At the time of any exercise of any option, the Company
may, if the Company shall determine it necessary or desirable for any reason,
require the Optionee (or his or her heirs, legatees, or legal representative, as
the case may be) as a condition upon the exercise thereof, to deliver to the
Company a written representation of present intention to purchase the shares for
investment and not for distribution. In the event such representation is
required to be delivered, an appropriate legend may be placed upon each
certificate delivered to the Optionee upon his or her exercise of part or all of
the option and a stop order may be placed with the transfer agent for the Common
Stock. Each option shall also be subject to the requirement that, if at any time
the Company determines, in its discretion, that the listing, registration or
qualification of the shares subject to the option upon any securities exchange
or under any state, federal or foreign law, or the consent or approval of any
governmental regulatory body is necessary or desirable as a condition of, or in
connection with, the issue or purchase of shares thereunder, the option may not
be exercised in whole or in part unless such listing, registration,
qualification, consent or approval shall have been effected or obtained free of
any conditions not acceptable to the Company.

         8. Termination of Employment or Consulting Arrangement - Exercise
Thereafter. (a) In the event the employment or consulting arrangement of an
Optionee with the Company or any of its subsidiaries is terminated for any
reason other than the Optionee's death, permanent disability, retirement after
age 65 or following a change in control (as defined in Paragraph 6(c) hereof),
such Optionee's option shall expire and all rights to purchase shares pursuant
thereto shall terminate immediately. Temporary absence from employment because
of illness, vacation, approved leaves of absence, and transfers of employment
among the Company and its subsidiaries, shall not be considered to terminate
employment or to interrupt continuous employment. Temporary cessation of the
provision of consulting services because of illness, vacation or any other
reason approved in advance by the Company shall not be considered a termination
of the consulting arrangement or an interruption of the continuity thereof.
Conversion of an Optionee's employment relationship to a consulting arrangement
shall not result in termination of previously granted options.

                  (b) In the event of termination of employment or consulting
arrangement following a change in control (as defined in Paragraph 6(c) hereof),
the option may be exercised in full (without regard to any times of exercise
established under Paragraph 6 hereof; provided, however, that no options shall
be exercisable during the first six months after the date of grant) by the
Optionee or, if the Optionee is not living, by the Optionee's heirs, legatees,
or legal representatives, as the case may be, during its specified term. In the
event of termination of employment or consulting arrangement because of death,
permanent disability (as that term is defined in Section 22(e)(3) of the Code,
as now in effect or as shall be subsequently amended) or retirement after age
65, the option may be exercised by the Optionee, or, if the Optionee dies after
such termination, by the Optionee's heirs, legatees, or legal representatives,
as the case may be, at any time during its specified term prior to three years
after the date of such termination, but only to the extent the option was
exercisable at the date of such termination.
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                  (c) Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan to the
contrary, the Committee may in its discretion provide for such other terms of
expiration and termination of an option in the event of termination of the
employment or consulting arrangement of the Optionee as the Committee shall
determine.

         9. Non-Transferability of Options. No option shall be transferable by
the Optionee otherwise than by will or the laws of descent and distribution or
pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order and each option shall be
exercisable during an Optionee's lifetime only by the Optionee or by the
Optionee's legal representative. This restriction on transferability is
effective only so long as it is required pursuant to Section 16 under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. At the time such restriction on
transferability is no longer so required, the Committee, in its discretion, may
permit the transfer of an option on such terms and subject to such conditions as
the Committee may deem necessary or appropriate or as otherwise may be required
by applicable law or regulation.

         10. Adjustment. The number of shares subject to the Plan and to options
granted under the Plan shall be adjusted as follows: (a) in the event that the
number of outstanding shares of Common Stock is changed by any stock dividend,
stock split or combination of shares, the number of shares subject to the Plan
and to options granted thereunder shall be proportionately adjusted; (b) in the
event of any merger, consolidation or reorganization of the Company with any
other corporation or legal entity there shall be substituted, on an equitable
basis as determined by the Committee, for each share of Common Stock then
subject to the Plan and for each share of Common Stock then subject to an option
granted under the Plan, the number and kind of shares of stock or other
securities to which the holders of shares of Common Stock will be entitled
pursuant to the transaction; and (c) in the event of any other relevant change
in the capitalization of the Company, the Committee shall provide for an
equitable adjustment in the number of shares of Common Stock then subject to the
Plan and to each share of Common Stock then subject to an option granted under
the Plan. In the event of any such adjustment, the option price per share of
Common Stock shall be proportionately adjusted.

         11. Amendment of the Plan. The Board of Directors of the Company or any
authorized committee thereof may amend or discontinue the Plan at any time.
However, no such amendment or discontinuance shall (a) without the consent of
the Optionee change or impair any option previously granted, or (b) without the
approval of the holders of a majority of the shares of the Common Stock which
vote in person or by proxy at a duly held stockholders' meeting, (i) increase
the maximum number of shares which may be purchased by all employees pursuant to
this Plan, (ii) change the minimum purchase price of any option, or (iii) change
the limitations on the option period or increase the time limitations on the
grant of options.

         12. Effective Date. The Plan is effective as of February 3, 1998.