Newsmaker: Ex-Fedex COO To Move To Top Holiday Spot

Holiday Inn Worldwide's newly elected CEO, Tom Oliver, said he will spend his first few weeks on the job fine-tuning a new three-year strategy to be implemented within three months. Oliver will assume the post March 10.

Oliver said that over the long term, Holiday Inn will continue its modernization initiative, add more business-class rooms, add more Holiday Inn Express properties, aggressively pursue a new suite-oriented product and become a "visible and aggressive player" in consolidation talks.

Oliver, 56, was most recently chairman and CEO of Audiofax Inc., an Atlanta high-tech company. He has served as chief operating officer of Federal Express and worked for American Airlines, Americana Hotels, Hertz and Thomas Cook.

In his most recent roles, Oliver was seen as an "operations guy, not a visionary," as one source put it, leading analysts to believe his plans are to trim down Holiday Inn and either pass it off to a more visionary CEO or sell it. In fact, sources said his predecessor, Timothy Lane, was let go essentially because he had too many ideas and not enough tolerance for taking orders from the Bass PLC executive committee.

Addressing these issues, Oliver said, "everybody here was disappointed that the company could not move forward with the previous management team. I will focus on a new environment which emphasizes teamwork. I would expect to see a substantial reduction in those political concerns going forward and better decisions being made."

While mandatory retirement for Bass employees is 60, the board has agreed to give Oliver a six-year contract.

Oliver said the chain's modernization efforts will include "what business travelers are expecting from a hotel in our category these days--telephone jacks, power outlets, voicemail systems, quality meetings services and other amenities.