Holiday Inn relaunches 1000th hotel

IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) announced the opening of its 1000th relaunched Holiday Inn hotel - the Holiday Inn Express New York City Times Square.

The $1 billion relaunch of Holiday Inn is the largest in the history of the hospitality industry, with over 3,200 hotels around the world being updated - improving quality and driving consistency at Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express hotels from Boston to Beijing.

In addition to the 3,200 open hotels there are a further 1,050 in the development pipeline, due to open with the relaunched branding in the next 3-4 years. The relaunch programme, combined with new openings and continued removal of lower quality hotels, will completely rejuvenate the Holiday Inn estate over the next few years.

Andy Cosslett, IHG's CEO said 'The opening of our 1000th relaunched Holiday Inn hotel is the latest milestone on our 3 year journey and demonstrates the momentum behind the programme. Despite the tough economic climate, we've relaunched, on average, 4 hotels a day for the past 6 months and we're committed to completing the global relaunch by the end of 2010.

Relaunched hotels are benefitting from improved guest satisfaction and an average RevPAR (revenue per available room) outperformance of over 5%. And the feedback we're getting from our guests and hotel owners tell us it's the right time to be doing this. The economic environment has changed since we started the programme, but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to show people that the Holiday Inn they came to know and love over the last 50 years is still a hotel that's right for them today.'

The relaunch focuses on the things research shows matter most to guests - a modern, contemporary hotel with efficient, friendly service and a great night's sleep. Relaunched hotels feature:

Upgraded and decluttered lobby areas

A Holiday Inn scent and sound

New bedding

Upgraded showers and bathroom amenities

New exterior lighting and landscaping

New signage with the redesigned logo

All Holiday Inn employees also go through an extensive "Stay Real" training programme to ensure guests receive the level of service they expect.

26 million people a year visit Times Square and the 210-room Holiday Inn Express New York City Times Square is surrounded by New York City's biggest tourist attractions including Broadway, the Rockefeller Center and the Empire State Building. The hotel is located at 343 West 39th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues in Midtown Manhattan, with LaGuardia (LGA) and JFK International (JFK) both less than 30 minutes away.

Logos, product and company names mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

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