Based in Preston, England's newest city, the hotel will have 118 rooms and open in November 2008.

One of the fastest growing hotel companies worldwide, reaches a further milestone in its history: By announcing the Park Inn Preston the group now features 50 hotels in operation and under development in the UK – representing almost 9,000 rooms.

"This is a solid portfolio which will be developed further", says Kurt Ritter, President & CEO of Rezidor. "The UK is an important home market for us; offering good growth opportunities especially for the young, dynamic and colorful Park Inn brand".

Rezidor's Park Inn portfolio in the country today comprises 34 properties with 5,619 rooms – EMEA wide the company has more than 100 Park Inn hotels with almost 22,000 rooms in operation and under development.

Rezidor takes over the management of the hotel in Preston as of November 1, 2008. After an extensive renovation, the property will be officially re-branded to Park Inn in February 2009. It currently has 98 rooms; 20 more will be added by June 2009. The building is located 5 km south of Preston on the M6 off Junction 29 (approximately 50 km from both Liverpool and Manchester).

Preston is England's newest city – it gained this status in 2002 only. Its proud heritage includes some remarkable structures and more than 750 listed buildings – among them the Harris Museum and Art Gallery, the Preston Guild Hall, the Lancashire Museum and St Walburge's Church.

With a population of 130,000 inhabitants, Preston is a major centre of the defence aerospace industry in the UK. The brewing business and the financial sector also play a significant role in the city.