<H1>Holiday Inns Gets Wired</H1> First there was in-room fax, then came copiers and computers. What's the next step toward traveler productivity? Internet access. Word has it that one Holiday Inn franchiser plans to wire more than 8,500 rooms, business centers and meeting rooms for high-speed Internet access. The first hotel, located in Denver, is scheduled to be connected by the end of May. The price per session? Not much more than an in-room movie, says an insider at Comcor, the Oberlin, Kan.-based Internet service provider that claims to be outfitting the 115-hotel group. The plan also calls for new Business Suite floors with a fax, copier and Internet-ready computer in each room.
Comcor says it's planning similar connections for a separate, 180-property Holiday Inn group, as well as franchisers of Embassy Suites and Promus hotels. A spokesperson at Holiday Inns headquarters would not confirm Comcor's agreement, but did reveal that the chain will be testing an Internet-capable television at two Atlanta-based hotels in June.
Marriott Announces Extended-Stay Brand
Marriott International has named its new midpriced extended-stay brand TownePlace Suites by Marriott. The first TownePlace property, slated to break ground next month in Newport News, Va., will debut by the end of this year. The brand, priced at $45 to $60 per night, will turn up next in Dallas, Detroit and Chantilly, Va.