Holiday Inn Express Opens in California Wine Country

• 
  SAVE
• 
  SHARE
• 
  TEXT SIZE
• 
  PRINT
• 
  COMMENT
• 
  PDF

. February 25, 2009

FEBRUARY 25, 2009 - IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON: IHG, NYSE: IHG] announced today that the Holiday Inn Express and Suites Napa Valley-American Canyon will open within a month.

The new-build property is the 18th Holiday Inn Express hotel in California to showcase the brand's new sign, which is the seal of approval that this hotel exemplifies the standards of the $1 billion Holiday Inn brand relaunch program.

The 101-room Holiday Inn Express is ideally located on state Route 29, in the world famous Napa Valley Wine Country, home to the finest wineries in the U.S. Situated at Napa Junction across from beautiful Main Street Park, the hotel is just a short drive away from downtown Napa, with world-renowned restaurants, boutique shops and charming Victorian homes. More than 350 wineries and numerous championship golf courses are also nearby. Notable local businesses include Foster's Wine Group, Coca Cola, Robert Mondavi, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom and Infineon Raceway.

Guests at the Holiday Inn Express will experience a comfortable and smart environment with innovative preferred guest upgrades to ensure a productive stay while traveling for business or leisure. The hotel's newly enhanced complimentary Express Start(R) breakfast bar will feature a full selection of breakfast items including a rotation of egg and meat selections, biscuits, yogurts, fruit and the brand's proprietary cinnamon roll and Smart Roast(R) coffee. The SimplySmart(TM) shower incorporates a proprietary Stay Smart(TM) Kohler showerhead, signature shower curtain with curved rod, upgraded 100 percent cotton terry towels and a custom line of cinnamon-scented bath products. Guests will also enjoy the SimplySmart(TM) bedding collection where they will find new crisp fresh bedding which features an attractive decorative throw, a medium-weight duvet blanket and soft 200 thread-count sheets.

First announced in 2007, the Holiday Inn brand relaunch program was established to create a more contemporary brand image as part of the drive to increase quality and consistency across the global portfolio. The program focuses on arrival and welcome services, guestroom, and guest bath comfort. The global estate of more than 3,200 Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express properties is expected to be relaunched by the end of 2010.

Elements of the relaunch for Holiday Inn Express include:

---|Redesigned Brand Signage

An evolution of the iconic script logo, energizing the signature color green and eliminating the current shield shape for a more refreshed and contemporary look.

---|Warm Welcome

A new signature arrival - including new lighting, landscaping and design features - that creates an energized and branded sense of welcome that is universally recognizable. Customized music and scent selections also engage guests in a complete sensory experience, and a decluttered front desk to promote a more efficient and interactive check-in process.

---|New Service Promise

A best-in-class service culture - 'Stay Real' - to further ensure the team develops the behaviors and skills to best serve guests so they feel like individuals and not numbers. Genuine people delivering real service. Leading the charge will be a newly created position at each hotel - the Guest Experience Champion.

'Holiday Inn Express hotels are designed to be the smart choice for value-conscious business and leisure travelers,' said John Merkin, senior vice president, Brand Management, Holiday Inn Brands, The Americas. 'With more than 1,900 properties worldwide and more than 700 properties in the pipeline, the Holiday Inn Express portfolio continues to expand in markets like Napa Valley, providing our guests with an enhanced stay experience at a great value. We welcome this hotel into the Holiday Inn family with the brand new sign and everything it represents.'