The FINANCIAL -- On March 18 InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) announced the relaunch of its 2000th Holiday Inn hotel, the Holiday Inn Express Edinburgh - Waterfront, in Scotland.

Holiday Inn is undergoing the biggest relaunch in hospitality industry history with a $1 billion investment across more than 3,200 hotels and 430,000 rooms worldwide.

First announced in October 2007, the relaunch is committed to offering guests a consistently good experience at all Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express hotels around the world, from Adelaide to Atlanta and Rome to Rio.

"Holiday Inn is also improving the quality of its hotels throughout the world with new openings, another 900 hotels in the Holiday Inn global development pipeline and the removal of poorer quality hotels," IHG says.

The Holiday Inn brand was founded by Kemmons Wilson in 1952 with the first hotel opening in Memphis, Tennessee. 58 years on, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express are in 100 countries worldwide and welcome over 100 million people every year. To showcase its hospitality and expertise worldwide, Holiday Inn has been named as the official hotel services provider to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. As a sponsor, Holiday Inn will be providing expertise in accommodation and services before and during the Games.

Andy Cosslett, IHG's chief executive said, "Reaching 2,000 relaunched Holiday Inn hotels is a major milestone.  We're two thirds of the way through the biggest relaunch in our industry's history, and on track to complete the programme by the end of the year."

"We've been asked whether now is the right economic climate to do this relaunch and the answer is definitely yes.  Not only is the relaunch delivering improved guest satisfaction and RevPAR (revenue per available room) outperformance, it's also resetting the perception of Holiday Inn and will help the brand stay relevant for the next 50 years."

The relaunch focuses on the things research shows matter most to guests - a modern, contemporary hotel with efficient, friendly service and a great night's sleep. 

Relaunched hotels feature:

Upgraded and decluttered lobby areas
A Holiday Inn scent and sound
New bedding
Upgraded showers and bathroom amenities
New exterior lighting and landscaping
New signage with the redesigned logo

All Holiday Inn employees also go through an extensive "Stay Real" training programme to ensure guests receive the level of service they expect

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