Massive Mexico Expansion By Holiday Inn

International hotel chain, Holiday Inn, said last month it plans a massive expansion of 48 new hotels in Mexico.

Talking to Mexican newspaper, El Economista, the company's president for the Americas region, Jim Abrahamson, said 16 of the new Mexico hotel properties would be branded Holiday Inn and 32 would be Holiday Inn Express.

"We're noticing that despite the flu outbreak that occurred in Mexico, there was a great strength in the business and domestic tourism markets, that have now recovered almost to their levels before the infection," he said.

Holiday Inn already has 86 properties in Mexico and the 48 new hotels will open in the next 3 to 4 years.

Around the world, three people check into a Holiday Inn every second and it is one of the world’s most recognized hotel brands, with a reputation for low prices at convenient locations.

Holiday Inn was originally launched in 1952. Today, the brand family is undergoing a global relaunch, expected to be complete by the end of 2010.

Holiday Inn says the plan is to "improve quality and service levels, and drive consistency, creating a new, more contemporary brand image at all Holiday Inn hotels around the world."