ATLANTA, Oct. 25 / Holiday Inn Express, already the fastest-growing brand in the midscale hotel segment, has achieved a new milestone, reaching more than $1 billion in sales for fiscal year 1999.

And, Holiday Inn Express has surpassed its original target goal of 1,000 hotels in the year 2001, when the brand opened its 1000th hotel last week in Hollywood Park, Texas, just five miles from the San Antonio airport.

What makes these figures particularly impressive is that the brand has come so far, so fast, achieving these goals in less than 10 years.

"We are ahead of schedule and the brand continues to outperform all expectations," affirms John Sweetwood, president, Midscale Hotel Group, North America, Bass Hotels & Resorts. "We've reached our current size a full two years earlier than initial projections."

Launched in 1991, Holiday Inn Express quickly struck a chord with travelers, who appreciate the brand's straightforward, no-frills approach. Sweetwood notes that the brand has been able to cultivate loyalty among consumers because it is well-defined, easily understood, and provides exactly what customers are looking for-comfortable, clean, uncomplicated accommodations that make sense and are reasonably priced.

"We've succeeded in getting the right message to the right consumer," Sweetwood says. "The brand's Stay Smart® positioning speaks directly to what our customers want and expect from a hotel: a room with all the basics, free breakfast, free local phone calls, and membership in a frequent-stay program."

Helping to spur interest and generate customer loyalty for the brand are a full complement of programs that keep Holiday Inn Express in the forefront of consumers' minds-attention-getting, award-winning TV advertising campaigns; participation in the competitive Priority Club Worldwide frequent-stay program; and the added bonus of Navigator, the brand's popular, award-winning in-room magazine.

For Holiday Inn Express owners, all those satisfied customers add up to repeat business and a solid return on their investment. As the brand grows, it increasingly attracts more owners, who recognize the financial opportunities that Holiday Inn Express offers.

And the numbers clearly speak for themselves. The brand's growth rate has averaged one new hotel every three days over the past five years – about 50 percent higher than original expectations. Holiday Inn Express also boasts a compound annual growth rate of 28 percent, based on room revenue.

Equally important, notes Sweetwood, is the comprehensive operational field support that Bass Hotels & Resorts extends to all Holiday Inn Express hotels.

"We assist the hotels with all their needs-from sales and marketing to operations and technology. They receive our support every step of the way," says Sweetwood. "These solid services provided to the hotels, combined with effective marketing, and customer loyalty and consumer satisfaction will help lead Holiday Inn Express to even greater heights as one of the top hotel brands in the hotel industry."

Holiday Inn Express is the modern hotel for value-oriented travelers. Fresh, clean and uncomplicated, Holiday Inn Express hotels offer competitive rates for both business and leisure travelers. Guests Stay Smart at Holiday Inn Express where they enjoy a free breakfast bar (featuring fresh fruit, cereal and pastries), free local phone calls (US only) and the ability to earn Priority Club® points that can be redeemed for great merchandise, airline miles or free stays in more than 2,700 hotels. There are currently 1,000 Holiday Inn Express locations around the globe.

Note to editors: Bass Hotels & Resorts(SM), the hotel business of Bass PLC of the United Kingdom, operates or franchises more than 2,700 hotels and 450,000 guest rooms in more than 90 countries and territories.

The following service marks are owned by Bass Hotels & Resorts Inc., its subsidiaries or affiliates: Holiday Inn®, Crowne Plaza®, Holiday Inn Express®, Holiday Inn Select®, Holiday Inn Garden Court(SM), Holiday Inn SunSpree® Resorts, Staybridge Suites® by Holiday Inn, Holidex®, Holidome®, Priority Club® Worldwide, e.space®, Inter-Continental®, Forum®, Six Continents Club®, Corporate Rate Portfolio® and Global Partner Hotels and Resorts®.

Bass Hotels & Resorts offers online information and reservations capability at the following websites: for company information, www.holiday-inn.com for Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts, for Holiday Inn Express hotels, www.crowneplaza.com for Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts, www.interconti.com for Inter-Continental Hotels and Resorts, and www.staybridge.com for our newest brand, Staybridge Suites® by Holiday Inn.

Stephanie Bezner
770-604-5083
IHG