Upgrades Price Out Some Hotel Owners | wsj.com

Holiday Inn's sweeping upgrade includes stripping its brand from 700 franchisees, cutting loose hotels that are part of its storied past. For Doug Schubert, who has operated a Holiday Inn on the banks of the Fox River here for 34 years, the end will come Dec. 31. The next day, his 146-room hotel will begin operating under Choice Hotels International Inc.'s Clarion brand.