ATLANTA - Holiday Inn Express announced today that the new 85-room Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites-Tampa will open June 25, representing another addition to the mid-scale’s portfolio of limited-service hotels. The hotel is conveniently located in the Westlake Corporate Center, just off Veterans Expressway at Anderson Road.

The new Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites-Tampa is owned and managed by BayStar Hotel Group and operated under a license agreement with an affiliate of Six Continents Hotels, Inc.

“This is the eighth Holiday Inn Express hotel to be built in the Tampa area,” said Jenifer Zeigler, vice president of marketing for the Holiday Inn Express brand. “Development in this growing area, which is located near prime tourist locations, is important in expanding our Holiday Inn Express consumer base.”

Situated three miles north of the Tampa International Airport in Westlake Corporate Park, the $7.4 million hotel is located just minutes from prime shopping, local beaches and tourist attractions such as Busch Gardens, Raymond James Stadium and Legends Field.

This prototype hotel will set the standard for future Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites properties, featuring services and amenities such as a spacious lounge, complimentary Internet access, conference rooms, an outdoor pool, a fitness center and a guest laundry facility. This property will also feature 32 suites each equipped with a microwave, refrigerator, wet-bar, two portable telephones and a sofa bed. Over forty rooms will feature walk-in showers.

Standard Holiday Inn Express guest-room accommodations will feature comfortable queen or king-sized beds, a sitting area with a lounge chair, cable television, free long-distance access, hairdryer, non-stick iron and ironing board. For those travelers with business needs, guestrooms will also provide a work desk and ergonomic chair, data ports, multi-line phones with private voicemail, Internet access, complimentary USA Today newspapers and Navigator Magazine.

“Holiday Inn Express hotels are designed to be the smart choice for value-conscious business and leisure travelers,” said chairman and CEO George Glover of BayStar Hotel Group. “At the new Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites-Tampa we offer guests a comfortable and affordable stay in a prime area for tourist attractions and sightseeing.”

Holiday Inn Express hotels are the smart choice for value-oriented travelers looking for fresh, clean and modern hotels. The new hotel, which will offer competitive rates for business and leisure travelers, will offer a complimentary breakfast bar (featuring fresh fruit, cereal and pastries), free local (U.S. and Canada only) and 1-800 phone calls, and the ability to earn Priority Club Rewards points that can be redeemed for great merchandise, airline miles, or free room nights in more than 3,200 hotels.

The Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites-Tampa is located at 5420 Corporate Lake Drive, WestLake Corporate Center, Tampa, Florida, 33634.

Holiday Inn Express continues to set the pace in the “limited-service” hotel category as the fastest-growing hotel brand, opening on average two new hotels every week. Holiday Inn Express adds to its achievements a growing list of industry and consumer accolades such as being named the top hotel choice for entrepreneurs by Entrepreneur magazine as well as the top hotel brand in its segment by Business Travel News. The brand also captured the 2001 gold EFFIE for its Stay Smart® advertising campaign, marking the third consecutive EFFIE the campaign has won. The national EFFIEs are the only major awards to recognize business results attributable to advertising campaigns.

Holiday Inn Express hotels offer outstanding value and customer service in more than 1,200 locations around the world. For more information about the Holiday Inn Express brand or to book reservations, call 1-800-HOLIDAY or visit www.hiexpress.com.

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