IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) announced the opening of a new 117-room Holiday Inn Express in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario on October 17, 2008. Located close to Markham and Richmond Hill, the site is twenty minutes away from downtown Toronto and easily accessible by Highways 404, 407 and 401. The new property is ideal for those traveling on business and for pleasure with nearby attractions including Beaver Creek Business Park, Canada’s Wonderland, Historic Unionville and Angus Glen Golf Club.

Guests at the Holiday Inn Express Toronto-Markham will experience a comfortable and smart environment with innovative preferred guest upgrades to ensure a productive stay while travelling for business or leisure. The hotel’s newly enhanced complimentary Express Start® breakfast bar will feature a full selection of breakfast items including cheddar cheese omelets, fluffy scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, sausage patties, biscuits, assorted yogurts, fruit, the brand’s proprietary cinnamon roll, Smart Roast coffee and more. The Simply Smart Guest Bathroom features the exclusive Simply Smart Showerhead by Kohler, contains 100 per cent cotton towels and is finished off with specially formulated subtly scented bath products. Also, guests will enjoy the relaxing Simply Smart Bedding Collection featuring white tone-on-tone striped sheets that have the feel of Egyptian cotton.  The collection also includes cozy accent throws providing a touch of home when on the road. 

“Holiday Inn Express hotels are designed to be the smart choice for value-conscious business and leisure travellers,” said Gopal Rao, Regional Vice President, Sales & Marketing for IHG, Canada. “With more than 1,800 properties worldwide and more than 700 properties in the pipeline, the Holiday Inn Express portfolio continues to expand, providing our guests with an enhanced stay experience at a great value.”

The new property is 81,000 square feet and offers a variety of amenities such as more than 900 square feet of meeting space, a fitness centre and an indoor heated salt water pool.  Standard Holiday Inn Express hotel guest rooms feature comfortable queen or king-sized beds, a sitting area with a lounge chair, and in-room coffee machine featuring complimentary Smart Roast 100% Arabica coffee.  Business travellers can relax in one of the King Business Class Suites outfitted with large desks, ergonomic chairs, free high-speed internet access, free local and toll free phone calls (U.S. and Canada only) and phones with private voicemail.  The Deluxe Jacuzzi Suites provide a relaxing oasis for those that seek to pamper themselves during their stay.

“Holiday Inn Express hotels are modern, fresh, clean, uncomplicated and a perfect fit for Toronto’s busy northeast area,” said Tim Trowbridge, General Manager, Holiday Inn Express Toronto-Markham. “We invested $15 million to build the property with the goal to provide all the latest in comfort and convenience a visitor needs to ensure a productive as well as enjoyable and relaxing stay.”

Holiday Inn Express hotels participate in IHG’s guest loyalty program, Priority Club® Rewards. The industry’s first and largest guest loyalty program has over 37 million members.  Priority Club Rewards membership is free and guests can enroll by logging on www.priorityclub.com, calling 1-888-211-9874 or by inquiring at the front desk of this hotel or any of IHG’s almost 4,000 hotels worldwide.

The Holiday Inn Express Toronto-Markham is owned by 2093755 Ontario Ltd. and managed by Luxury Hotels Group under a license agreement with a company in the InterContinental Hotels Group.