06 June 2011

New Holiday Inn Express Nashville West I-40 / Whitebridge Rd Opens Near Downtown

New Hotel Located Near Nashville International Airport and Major Area Attractions

ATLANTA - IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON: IHG, NYSE: IHG (ADRs)], the world's largest hotel group by number of rooms, announced the opening of the Holiday Inn Express Nashville West I-40/Whitebridge Rd. in a comfortable and relaxed suburban setting not far from the Country Music Hall of Fame and the city's famed downtown Honky Tonk District. Formerly the Baymont Inn, the hotel has recently undergone $1.5 million of enhancements to both the interior and exterior.

Located near the intersection of Charlotte Avenue and Whitebridge Road, the recently renovated Holiday Inn Express Nashville West I-40/Whitebridge Rd. is just a short distance from the Nashville International Airport and provides easy access to I-40, I-65 and I-24. It offers an array of complimentary amenities to guarantee a great stay, including a 24-hour fitness center, a business center, an outdoor pool and "Suite Shop."

"Holiday Inn Express hotels are designed to be the smart choice for value-conscious business and leisure travelers," said Gina LaBarre, vice president, Americas Brand Management, IHG.  "With more than 2,000 properties worldwide and hundreds more in the pipeline, the Holiday Inn Express portfolio continues to provide our guests with an enhanced-stay experience at a great value.  We welcome this hotel into the Holiday Inn family."

The new hotel includes features in keeping with the $1 billion Holiday Inn relaunch, the biggest ever project of its kind in the history of the hospitality industry. First announced in 2007, the relaunch program creates 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 and a redesigned logo and signage.

"We are excited about joining the Holiday Inn family and being able to provide visitors to the Nashville area with outstanding service, a fresh look and an outstanding hotel-stay experience," said Ray Dayal, CEO and chairman of Pinnacle Hospitality Partners, owners of the hotel.

The 65,000-square-foot hotel, which includes 105 rooms on three floors, is 100 percent smoke-free and includes a 750 square foot meeting room. The hotel also offers complimentary high-speed, wireless Internet access. All rooms include a living area with a sofa bed and a large desk with an ergonomic chair.

Within walking distance of several restaurants, the Holiday Inn Express Nashville West I-40/Whitebridge Rd. is close to Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt Medical Center, Music Row, and is not far from Tennessee State University. It is also close to HCA, St. Thomas Hospital, Centennial Hospital and the new Music City Convention Center.

Guest rooms include 35-inch, flat-screen televisions, comfortable queen or king-sized beds and the SimplySmartTM bedding collection where guests will find new, crisp and fresh bedding, an attractive decorative throw, a medium-weight duvet blanket and soft 200-thread-count sheets. The SimplySmartTM shower incorporates a proprietary Stay SmartTM Kohler showerhead and a signature shower curtain with curved rod. The sitting area includes a lounge chair and an in-room coffee machine featuring complimentary Smart Roast 100% Arabica coffee.  Guests can enjoy free local and toll-free (U.S. only) calls, phones with private voicemail and complimentary USA TODAY® newspapers.

All hotel stays include the free Express StartSM Breakfast Bar with hot breakfast favorites like scrambled eggs or omelets, bacon, sausage and biscuits.  Guests also find traditional breakfast buffet items such as cereal, yogurt, breads, 100 percent Arabica Smart Roast CoffeeSM and Express StartSM hot cinnamon rolls.

The Holiday Inn Express Nashville West I-40 is located at 5612 Lenox Ave., and is owned and managed by Pinnacle Hospitality Partners, which also includes the Holiday Inn Express and Suites Nashville - Opryland as part of their portfolio. Reservations can be made by calling 801-352-8100 or at hiexpress.com.

Holiday Inn Express participates in IHG's guest loyalty program, Priority Club® Rewards. The industry's first and largest guest loyalty program has 58 million members.  Priority Club Rewards membership is free and guests can enroll by logging on at priorityclub.com, by calling 1-888-211-9874 or by inquiring at the front desk of this hotel or any of IHG's more than 4,400 hotels worldwide.

About Holiday Inn Express
Holiday Inn Express hotels are modern hotels 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 hotels where they enjoy a free, hot Express Start® Breakfast Bar and free high-speed Internet access. There are currently more than 2,000 Holiday Inn Express hotel locations around the globe.  For more information about Holiday Inn Express hotels or to book reservations, call 1-800-HOLIDAY or visit http://www.hiexpress.com/

Media Contacts:
Sherry Telford, Holiday Inn Express, [email protected], +1(770) 604-2613
Sarah-Ann Soffer, Holiday Inn Express, [email protected], +1(770) 604-2707

Notes to Editors:

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global company operating seven well-known hotel brands including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo®, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites® and Candlewood Suites®.  IHG also manages Priority Club® Rewards, the world’s first and largest hotel loyalty program with 58 million members worldwide.

IHG is the world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms and IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns, through various subsidiaries, a portfolio of over 4,400 hotels and more than 652,000 guest rooms in 100 countries and territories around the world.

IHG has more than 1,200 hotels in its development pipeline and expects to recruit around 160,000 people worldwide over the next few years.

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Group’s holding company and is incorporated in Great Britain and registered in England and Wales.

IHG offers information and online reservations for all its hotel brands at http://www.ihg.com/ and information for the Priority Club Rewards program at http://www.priorityclub.com/. For our latest news visit www.ihg.com/media, Twitter www.twitter.com/ihgplc or YouTube http://www.youtube.com/ihgplc

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