This upcoming Holiday Inn Express is owned by Allen Hotel Partners LLC, operated under a license agreement with Six Continents Hotels Inc., and managed by Dora Brothers Hospitality.

"Holiday Inn Express is strengthening its portfolio in Northern Indiana by developing the Holiday Inn Express & Suites property in Fort Wayne," said Jenifer Zeigler, vice president of marketing for the Holiday Inn Express brand. "Development in the Ft. Wayne area is important in establishing a strong presence in a prime destination location and expanding our Holiday Inn Express consumer base."

Situated on US Highway 24 in the suburban Coventry area, the first phase of the hotel's construction is estimated at $5-6 million and will feature 83 rooms. The second phase of construction has not been scheduled but will add 74 rooms to the property. This Holiday Inn Express hotel will be located minutes from local attractions such as the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo, the Abraham Lincoln Life Museum and Fort Wayne's Science Museum. Area restaurants and shopping also are located within walking distance.

The first phase of this 50,000-square-foot prototype hotel will set the standard for future Holiday Inn Express properties, featuring services and amenities such as a spacious hotel lounge with a stone fireplace, computer outlets and high-speed modem connections in all public areas, conference rooms, an indoor pool and whirlpool, a fitness center and a guest laundry facility. This property also will feature 26 suites equipped with a microwave, refrigerator, wet-bar, two televisions and a sofa bed.

Standard guest-room accommodations will feature a sitting area with a lounge chair, hairdryer, coffee machine and ironing board. In-room entertainment and information services will include cable television, free movie channels and the Holiday Inn Express Navigator magazine. For the business traveler, guestrooms will provide a work desk and ergonomic chair, data ports, Internet access, complementary USA Today newspapers, and laundry and one-day dry-cleaning services, which will be available during the weekdays.

"Fort Wayne is a well-traveled market and a perfect fit for Holiday Inn Express," said Bob Dora of Dora Brothers Hospitality. "We are glad that the new Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites will offer value-conscious business and leisure travelers a host of features and amenities that are defining a new future in the limited-service hotel sector."

Holiday Inn Express hotels are a smart choice for travelers looking for fresh, clean and modern hotels. The new hotel will offer a complimentary breakfast bar (featuring fresh fruit, cereal and pastries), free local (U.S. and Canada only) and 1-800 phone calls and the ability to earn Priority Club points that can be redeemed for great merchandise, airline miles or free room nights in more than 3,000 hotels.

Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites in Fort Wayne will cater to value-oriented travelers offering competitive rates for both business and leisure travelers. The hotel will be located on US Highway 24 off I-69 and is scheduled to open in May 2002.

Holiday Inn Express continues to set the pace in the "limited-service" hotel category as the fastest-growing hotel brand, opening on average one new hotel every three days. Holiday Inn Express adds to its achievements a growing list of industry and consumer accolades such as being named the top hotel choice for entrepreneurs by Entrepreneur magazine as well as the top hotel brand in its segment by Business Travel News. The brand also captured the 2001 gold EFFIE for its Stay Smart® advertising campaign, marking the third consecutive EFFIE the campaign has won. The national EFFIEs are the only major awards to recognize business results attributable to advertising campaigns.

Holiday Inn Express hotels offer outstanding value and customer service in more than 1,200 locations around the world. For more information about Holiday Inn Express or to book reservations, call 1-800-HOLIDAY or visit www.hiexpress.com.

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Note to editors:

[optional] Six ContinentsSM Hotels, the hotel business of Six Continents PLC of the United Kingdom [LON:SXC, NYSE:SXC (ADRs)], owns, operates or franchises more than 3,200 hotels and 510,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories.

The following are some of the service marks owned by Six Continents Hotels, Inc., its parent, subsidiaries or affiliates: Holiday Inn®, Crowne Plaza®, Holiday Inn Express® in the Americas, Express by Holiday InnSM in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Holiday Inn Select®, Holiday Inn Garden CourtSM, Holiday Inn SunSpree® Resort, Staybridge Suites® by Holiday Inn®, Holiday Inn Family SuitesSM Resort , Holidex®, Priority Club®, Inter-Continental® and Forum®. Centra® in Canada and Mexico; CentraSM in the U.S.; ParkroyalSM in the U.S. and Canada; Parkroyal® in Mexico.

Six Continents Club®, Six ContinentsSM, 6 ContinentsSM and the 6C logo are service marks of Six Continents PLC and used under license.

Six Continents Hotels, Inc. offers information and reservations capability on the Internet - www.6c.com, www.interconti.com for Inter-Continental Hotels and Resorts, www.crowneplaza.com for Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts, www.holiday-inn.com for Holiday Inn hotels, www.hiexpress.com for Holiday Inn Express hotels, www.staybridge.com for Staybridge Suites by Holiday Inn, and www.priorityclub.com.

For the latest news from Six Continents Hotels, visit our online Press Office at

www.pressoffice.sixcontinentshotels.com/