IHG, the world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms today announces the opening of the new-build Holiday Inn Express & Suites San Antonio NW Near SeaWorld, featuring 80 rooms and 24 suites. The hotel is hiring 20 employees, ranging from concierge to house keeping and maintenance.

Located just off of Loop 1604 at 9536 Amelia Pass, the hotel is located in a conveniently urban area. The hotel is close to SeaWorld San Antonio, Six Flags and Tayari Art Gallery and Government Canyon State Natural Area, in addition to shopping and restaurants. For business travelers, the hotel is located near Valero, Wachovia, QVC Network, Chase Operations Center, Christus Santa Rosa Hospital, Lackland Air Force Base, University of Texas San Antonio and the NW Vista College.

“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 more than 600 properties in the pipeline, the Holiday Inn Express portfolio continues to expand in markets like San Diego, 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.”

The new hotel exemplifies the $1 billion Holiday Inn re-launch, the biggest ever project of its kind in the history of the hospitality industry. First announced in 2007, the re-launch 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.

The new 45,643 square-foot property offers a variety of amenities such as an outdoor pool, fitness center, business center, 1,100 square-foot meeting room and free, high-speed wireless Internet throughout the entire building. The guest rooms are equipped with comfortable queen or king-sized beds, a sitting area with a lounge chair and an in-room coffee machine featuring complimentary Smart Roast 100% Arabica coffee. Business travelers will find large desks with ergonomic chairs, free local phone calls, phones with private voicemail and complimentary USA TODAY® newspapers.

The hotel’s newly enhanced complimentary Express Start® breakfast bar features a full range of breakfast items including a rotation of egg and meat selections, biscuits, yogurt, fruit and the brand’s proprietary cinnamon roll and Smart Roast® coffee.  The SimplySmart™ shower incorporates a proprietary Stay Smart™ 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 enjoy the SimplySmart™ 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.

“Holiday Inn Express is modern, fresh, clean and uncomplicated and a perfect fit for San Antonio,” said Brittany Boyd, general manager.

The Holiday Inn Express & Suites San Antonio NW Near SeaWorld is owned and managed by Jayson’s LTD, under a license agreement with a company in the InterContinental Hotels Group.