Sixteen-story high-rise is the first Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites to open in Downtown Detroit

Holiday Inn Express announced today that the newly renovated 241-room Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites-Detroit Downtown, Mich., recently opened, representing another addition to the mid-scale brand's portfolio of limited-service hotels.

The Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites-Detroit Downtown is owned by Summit Group of Detroit, Michigan LLC and managed by The Summit Group, Inc., under a license agreement with a company in the InterContinental Hotels Group.

"Holiday Inn Express hotels are designed to be the smart choice for value-conscious business and leisure travelers," said Jenifer Zeigler, brand vice president, Holiday Inn Express. "Development of our first hotel in the Detroit area is important in expanding our Holiday Inn Express consumer base and establishing a strong presence in prime tourist locations."

Situated in the heart of downtown Detroit, the new 182,000 square-foot hotel is located directly off of Lodge Freeway 10 and is within walking distance of the COBO Convention Center, Compuware headquarters, Federal Courthouse, EDS headquarters Joe Louis Arena, Comerica Park, Ford Field, the Detroit Theatre District and numerous casinos.

The Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites-Detroit Downtown offers a variety of amenities such as complimentary shuttle service to area restaurants and office parks, same day laundry and valet, a 24-hour front desk and a complete exercise facility to provide a health club workout. Twenty-four guestrooms are suites with microwaves, refrigerators and pull out sleeper-sofas and twenty-four suites offer a full kitchen for extended-stay guests.

Standard Holiday Inn Express guest room accommodations feature comfortable queen or king-sized beds, a sitting area with a lounge chair, cable television, long-distance access, hairdryer, coffee machine, non-stick iron and ironing board. For those travelers with business needs, guestrooms also provide large desks with ergonomic chairs, data ports, two phones with private voicemail, high-speed Internet access and complimentary USA Today newspapers.

"The hotel's guest rooms, bathrooms, heating and cooling system and all public space were completely renovated to convert this property from an independent hotel to a Holiday Inn Express Hotels & Suites, and we are pleased with the end result," said Craig Aniszewski, vice president of Operation and Development for the Summit Group. "Detroit is a well-traveled market for both leisure and business and a perfect fit for the Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites product."

The Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites-Detroit Downtown offers competitive rates for business and leisure travelers, toll free (U.S. and Canada only) and free local phone calls. The newly renovated property features the Express Start breakfast bar. The complimentary new breakfast bar, which is a standard at all Holiday Inn Express hotels, features traditional morning favorites as well as Smart Roast 100% Arabica coffee and warm cinnamon rolls prepared with an exclusive recipe developed especially for the Holiday Inn Express brand.

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 best low-priced hotel in Entrepreneur's 10th Annual Travel Awards. Holiday Inn Express has also been recognized as the top hotel brand in its segment by Business Travel News. Holiday Inn Express captured the Travel Industry Association's 2001 Odyssey Award, in the category of Travel Advertising, for its Stay Smart advertising campaign. The brand has also captured the American Marketing Association's EFFIE awards (1999-2002). The national EFFIEs are the only major awards to recognize business results attributable to advertising campaigns.

The Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites-Detroit Downtown participates in Priority Club Rewards, the world's first hotel loyalty program. Guests benefit from new member-preferred features like points transfer, points purchase and the fastest way to Elite status, with competitive features of no blackout dates and no point expiration to form a powerful program that is easy and truly rewarding. According to CNN: "The new Priority Club Rewards program is the best one around..." Enrollment in Priority Club Rewards is free and Priority Club Rewards points can be redeemed for great merchandise, airline miles, or free room nights at more than 3,300 hotels worldwide.