Press Release: Bass Hotels & Resorts
October 12, 1999
ATLANTA, GA -- Bass Hotels & Resorts (BHR) today announced that it has entered into a multiple franchise agreement
with Westmont Hospitality (Westmont) that will result in up to 20 hotels converting to the Holiday Inn brand before
the end of 2000. The agreement is the largest of its kind for the brand in Europe and, when combined with the 11
existing Holiday Inn hotels in the country, propels Holiday Inn to the position of number two international mid-market
hotel brand in Italy.
The agreement will add over 2,500 rooms to the Holiday Inn portfolio and involves five Clarine hotels with the
balance being Agip properties. Located primarily in Italy, and with one in Hungary, most of the hotels converted
to the Holiday Inn brand in September, with the remainder scheduled to join the brand by the end of next year.
Westmont and its investment partner are spending almost US$18 million in the refurbishment of these properties
over the next two years.
Tom Oliver, chairman and CEO for Bass Hotels & Resorts commented: ``Italy is one of Holiday Inn's key European
target markets and we are very excited about this agreement. The brand's existing strong reputation in Italy will
be enhanced by this new quality distribution, and additional projects already in the pipeline will ensure we continue
to build on this strong foundation. Westmont is one of our key partners and this deal further strengthens our very
strong relationship.''
Kingsley Seevaratnam, executive vice president Europe for Westmont Hospitality, added, ``We are very pleased to
have entered into this very significant multiple franchise agreement with Bass Hotels & Resorts, which will
make the Holiday Inn brand a significant player in Italy. Along with other hotels, Westmont already owns and operates
35 Holiday Inn hotels in Belgium, France and the UK. With the addition of this portfolio of up to 20 hotels, our
group becomes the largest Bass Hotels & Resorts' franchisee in the Europe region.''
The locations of the new Holiday Inn hotels in Italy include Venice, Pisa, Turin, Rome, Piacenza, Milan, Trieste,
Palermo, Siracusa, Verona, Catania, Bologna and Florence.
Bass Hotels & Resorts
Bass Hotels & Resorts(SM), the hotel business of Bass PLC (NYSE: BAS) of the United Kingdom, operates or franchises
more than 2,700 hotels and 450,000 guest rooms in more than 90 countries and territories. The following service
marks are owned by Bass Hotels & Resorts Inc., its subsidiaries or affiliates: Holiday Inn®, Crowne Plaza®,
Holiday Inn Express®, Holiday Inn Select(r), Holiday Inn Garden Court(SM), Holiday Inn SunSpree® Resorts,
Staybridge Suites(SM) by Holiday Inn, Holidex®, Holidome®, Priority Club® Worldwide, e.space®,
Inter-Continental®, Forum®, Six Continents Club®, Corporate Rate Portfolio® and Global Partner
Hotels and Resorts®.
Bass Hotels & Resorts offers information and reservations capability on its pages on the World Wide Web of
the Internet -- www.holiday-inn.com for Holiday Inn hotels, www.hiexpress
for Holiday Inn Express hotels, www.crowneplaza.com for Crowne Plaza Hotels
and Resorts, and www.interconti.com for Inter-Continental Hotels and Resorts
and www.staybridge.com for Staybridge Suites by Holiday Inn.
Westmont Hospitality
One of the largest privately owned hotel investment and management companies, Westmont has interests in and manages
over 400 hotels worldwide.
SOURCE: Bass Hotels & Resorts