Whiff of change makes marks makeover of Holiday Inn

(SALT LAKE TRIBUNE) West Valley City » Walk in the front door and right away there's a scent of something new at Holiday Inn.

An aroma, not overwhelming but certainly noticeable, wafts through the air upon entering the lobby, dispersed by a scent fan tucked obscurely against a wall.

"We're paying attention to the whole arrival process," said John Merkin, senior vice president of brand management for Holiday Inn in the Americas. "You notice a whiff when you come in, subtle enough after that initial whiff you don't really notice it."

But Holiday Inn is counting on leisure and business travelers noticing that the motel chain, a fixture across the United States since 1952, is recharging itself. The company launched a $1 billion renovation campaign in the fall of 2007, looking to put a new face on what Merkin called "the industry's best-known brand. We don't take that lightly. It's a brand with a 57-year history. We wanted to do it well."

The chain is about halfway through the process of modernizing 900 Holiday Inns and Holiday Inn Express motels -- the latter a 17-year-old brand that offers fewer services (such as a complimentary breakfast room rather than a full-service restaurant).

The transition involves opening new Holiday Inn and Expresses, removing the brand name from some older properties, and requiring most existing motels to go through a top-to-bottom makeover.

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