Holiday Inn Express

Holiday Inn Express
Industry Hotels
Founded 1991 (1991)
Number of locations
 2,469 (September 2016)
Area served
 international
Owner InterContinental Hotels Group
Parent Holiday Inn
Website www.hiexpress.com
Holiday Inn Express, North End Road, Fulham, London

Holiday Inn Express is a mid-priced hotel chain within the InterContinental Hotels Group family of brands. As an "express" hotel, their focus is on offering limited services at a reasonable price. Standard amenities lean toward the convenient and practical which cater to business travelers and short-term stays. As of September 2016, there are 2,469 Holiday Inn Express hotels featuring over 240,000 rooms worldwide.[1]

The Holiday Inn Express concept was intended to target the "upper economy" market segment, offering limited service, low-price lodging.[2][3][4][5]

In Europe, the hotels were known as Express by Holiday Inn,[6] but this variation was phased out during the Holiday Inn Global Brand Relaunch which was announced in 2007.

History

In 1991, the first Holiday Inn Express locations opened, with three hotels opening in the United States. Plans at the time called for 250 locations to be open by 1995.[1]

In 1996, the brand's first European location opened in Scotland.[1]

Marketing

Starting in 1998, Holiday Inn Express started an ad campaign called "Stay Smart" ads that featured ordinary people achieving superior feats, such as averting a nuclear disaster or performing like rock stars. When questioned on whether or not they are professionals, they would attribute their skills to their stay there with the reply: "No, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night!" These ads have received positive reviews, and have been so successful they have crossed over into popular culture, having been featured in late night comedian jokes and political cartoons.[7] Current ads feature comedian Rob Riggle.

Properties

Holiday Inn Express, Belmont, California

Typical Holiday Inn Express hotels are built from corporate architectural prototypes, and tend to consist of 60-80 rooms, with a mix of suites and standard rooms in North America properties. Because the chain has been undergoing tremendous growth, the majority of Holiday Inn Express hotels are brand new or newly renovated.[8][9][10]

The original Holiday Inn Express properties were no-frills hotels offering only continental breakfast and an exercise room. However newer hotels do feature most amenities from the higher-end Holiday Inn brand, such a restaurant and bar, conference rooms, and even a full fitness center with a swimming pool. A major differentiation is location, with Express properties typically found in suburbs and besides freeways, while the upmarket Holiday Inn has been placed in urban areas (including downtown) and often near tourist attractions.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Holiday Inn Express factsheet" (PDF). InterContinental. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  2. ↑ "Our History". InterContinental Hotels Group. 8 June 2010. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
  3. ↑ Wade, Betsy (16 December 1990). "On the Road, Sleeping for Less". The New York Times.
  4. ↑ "You get what you pay for in economy motels". The News and Courier/Evening Post, Charleston, SC. 11 November 1990.
  5. ↑ "Holiday Inn enters new market area". Daily News, Bowling Green, Kentucky. 8 October 1990.
  6. ↑ "InterContinental's UK arm boosted by business travel upturn". Scotsman. Johnston Publishing Ltd. 27 May 2005. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  7. ↑ Howard, Theresa (16 July 2001). "Slogan's buzz fuels hotel's biz". USA Today. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
  8. ↑ "Hotel owner adds 2 properties from defunct chain". The Daytona Beach News-Journal. 10 August 2010.
  9. ↑ "New owner seeks to return hotel to prominence". The Daytona Beach News-Journal. 24 January 2011.
  10. ↑ "Holiday Inn tweaks its brand to lure guests". Orlando Sentinel. 26 September 2010.
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