Villager Franchise Systems today announced that The Drawbridge Inn and Convention Center, a large, full-service hotel in Fort Mitchell, Ky., will become a Villager Premier mid-market, extended-stay hotel this spring.

The Drawbridge Villager Premiere Hotel will continue to be operated by the original owner and builder, Jerry Deters, and his wife, Marge Deters, a prominent northern Kentucky developer. A landmark in Fort Mitchell for the past 31 years, the hotel features 485 guest rooms, three restaurants and nearly 28,000 square feet of meeting space including several meeting rooms and a ballroom that seats more than 1,000 people. The owners have invested more than $3 million to improve the hotel over the last few years.

“Ample conference space, full-service hotel amenities, access to an international airport and major Interstates as well as reserved space for extended stays at one site is a concept in demand across the nation,” said Anthony Falor, Villager president & chief executive officer. “We`re very excited to bring the Villager Premier concept to the Cincinnati area. The Drawbridge has been evolving into this concept for three decades, all it lacked were the resources and brand advantages of a national chain.”

Jerry Deters said his decision to affiliate with the Villager brand is evidence that the “era of the independent hotel is close to over,” adding: “In order to take full advantage of the trends in the hospitality industry, now is the time for the Drawbridge Inn to flag its facility through a national chain that believes in the same standards of customer service and value. The hotel`s relationship with Villager Franchise Systems will provide more resources for operating as well as marketing the property to prospective customers in the tristate area and outside the region.”

Villager Franchise Systems Inc., an extended-stay chain of 116 hotels representing more than 11,500 guestrooms in the United States, Canada and Mexico, is a subsidiary of Cendant Corporation (NYSE: CD). For reservations or further information, call the Villager toll-free reservations number, (800) 328-7829, or access the chain`s Web site at www.villager.com.

——-