Holiday Inn(R) Debuts Ad Featuring Trent Willmon Song

Holiday Inn(R) Debuts Ad Featuring Trent Willmon Song

America's favorite hotel brand uses rising country music star's "Home Sweet Holiday Inn" as foundation for new television spot touting Kids Eat and Stay Free Programs

ATLANTA, June 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Over the years, many jingles used in advertisements by the likes of Jaguar and Coca-Cola have quickly become hit singles (remember Coca-Cola's "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" in 1971?). Today, the newest evolution of music in advertising is about selecting songs that not only fit the brand, but that also are written and performed by someone who reflects the core values of the company represented.

This synergy is what Holiday Inn(R) Hotels and Resorts found in rising country music star Trent Willmon and a track on his self-titled debut album from Sony Music Nashville. "Home Sweet Holiday Inn" is the basis for a new national Holiday Inn television advertisement, "One Fine Day," created by BEN Marketing Group in Atlanta. "One Fine Day" began airing in May on ABC Family, Lifetime, Nick-at-Nite, TV Food, USA and WE.

The commercial features a father and son staying at a Holiday Inn, how they bond during their visits and how much the two are alike. The ad reflects the "Home Sweet Holiday Inn" lyrics, "You've grown so fast that I just can't believe how much you're changing, but you still look like me ..." The two enter the hotel pulling suitcases, one small and one large. The father pays for the room, and the son puts the change from his own pocket up on the front desk. The two finish drinking milk from their glasses and the son puts his smaller glass down exactly like his dad. Appropriately, the ad closes with a tag promoting the Holiday Inn Kids Eat Free and Kids Stay Free(1) programs.

"So many people associate Holiday Inn with family experiences," said Mark Snyder, senior vice president of brand management for Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts in The Americas. "Maybe it's the strong memories so many of us associate with swimming in the Holiday Inn pool as a kid on family vacations - or the towel that 'followed the family home' after an especially fun trip - or your first business trip when you stayed at Holiday Inn because it was familiar. Whatever it is that reminds us, this spirit of family is the very essence of Holiday Inn, and Trent Willmon's "Home Sweet Holiday Inn" song embodies the special shared moments that happen at Holiday Inn hotels across the country every day."

Aimed at capturing the mindshare of traveling families during the early summer booking window, "One Fine Day" runs through Father's Day, which Willmon will be celebrating with his own daughter, the inspiration behind his song.

"Home Sweet Holiday Inn"

Much to the Holiday Inn brand team's delight, the song virtually fell into their laps earlier this year. While the brand associates itself with the country music genre for its authenticity and straight-forward approach, Holiday Inn did not commission "Home Sweet Holiday Inn."

"Trent Willmon's song fit perfectly into our brand strategy of Holiday Inn - knowing 'what matters most' to its guests and delivering on that promise," said Snyder. "We couldn't have developed a song that better embodies the spirit of Holiday Inn if we had commissioned it ourselves," he added. "The moment we heard it, we just knew we had to do something with it and the artist who created it."

The Holiday Inn legacy is as real today as it was 53 years ago: genuine and down-to-earth, a home-away-from-home for its guests. And that's exactly what Holiday Inn is to Willmon. As a single father whose job keeps him on the road, Willmon visits his daughter every chance he gets and stays at the local Holiday Inn, which has become "home" for their time together.

"This song is autobiographical to me," Willmon said. "It took me a long time to get to where I could sing it live. I wanted to say these things to my daughter, and maybe when she is a little older, she will understand."

Who is Trent Willmon?

Trent Willmon grew up in West Texas, the son of a cattle rancher and a "liberal-minded hippie type." He draws his musical influence from other West Texas talents such as Buddy Holly, Joe Ely, Waylon Jennings, George Strait and Don Williams. To fulfill his dream of becoming a songwriter, he knew a move to Nashville was inevitable. So, in 1995, he packed his truck and drove to the country music capital of the world.

Willmon got a songwriting contract with Sea Gayle Music in 1998 and had his songs recorded by Julie Roberts, Montgomery Gentry and Darryl Worley. But he missed performing, so he put together a band called "Cow Camp" and started a three-year stint as the house band at Big Jim Country in Lewisburg, Tenn. He blossomed as a singer and was eventually noticed by record executives. While his first record-label showcase was a disaster, the second resulted in a contract from Sony Music Nashville.

The rising star struggled to get where he is today and is the epitome of what Holiday Inn describes as the "everyday hero," its core guest. Everyday heroes are grounded, not wishy-washy. They know who they are, have a clear point of view, and realize life is a journey meant to be enjoyed with friends and family. How does Willmon fit in? He stayed focused on his dream and enjoys the journey.

"I'm so pleased Holiday Inn chose 'Home Sweet Holiday Inn' for their campaign. My daughter and I stay at Holiday Inn whenever we can - and of course I love that Kids Eat and Stay Free program," said Willmon. "When my co-writers and I were writing the song, we just felt that Holiday Inn is so universal and so familiar that everyone would be able to relate to the experience," he added.

Holiday Inn is such a part of Americana that Willmon isn't the first artist to use the famous brand in a song. Artists as diverse as Chingy, Elton John, KISS, Sugar Hill Gang, James Taylor, Isley Brothers, Wyclef Jean, Hank Williams Jr., and Jimmy Buffett have all sung about the omni-present hotel brand - voluntarily. Holiday Inn also found itself in the lyrics to the Broadway hit musical "Rent." And most recently, rapper Juvenile used a suite at a New Orleans Holiday Inn as the "muse" for his newest album.

About Holiday Inn

With more than 1,400 hotels worldwide, Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts is the most widely recognized lodging brand in the world. Since 1952, Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts has been providing the services that business travelers need, while also offering a comfortable atmosphere where all people can relax and enjoy amenities such as restaurants and room service, swimming pools, fitness centers and comfortable lounges. The casual atmosphere and amenities such as meeting and on-site business facilities, KidSuites(R) rooms, and the Kids Eat Free and Kids Stay Free programs demonstrate the long-standing commitment of Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts to providing what matters most to travelers. For more information or to book a reservation, call 1-800-HOLIDAY or log onto www.holiday-inn.com .

(1) Kids Eat Free: Up to four children per family eat free for up to three meals per day at all Holiday Inn hotels in the United States and Canada. To participate, kids must be age 12 or younger, order from the kids' menu in the hotel restaurant and be accompanied by a dining adult. Kids Stay Free: Children age 19 and younger stay free at all Holiday Inn hotels worldwide when sharing a parent's room. The Kids Stay Free policy has been available since the first hotel opened in 1952.

Source: InterContinental Hotels Group PLC

CONTACT: Virginia Osborne of InterContinental Hotels Group, +1-770-604-2037, or virginia.osborne@ichotelsgroup.com ; or Fred Roselli of GCI Group, +1-404-870-3848, or froselli@gcigroup.com ; or Darlene Bieber of Schmidt Relations, +1-615-846-3878, or Darlene@schmidtpr.com

Web site: http://www.holiday-inn.com/

NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information about Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts or to make a reservation, call 1-800-HOLIDAY or log onto www.holiday-inn.com . InterContinental Hotels Group PLC of the United Kingdom (NYSE: IHG; London) (ADRs) is the world's most global hotel company and the largest by number of rooms. InterContinental Hotels Group owns, manages, leases or franchises, through various subsidiaries, more than 3,500 hotels and 536,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories around the world. The Group owns a portfolio of well recognized and respected hotel brands including InterContinental(R) Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza(R) Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn(R) Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express(R), Staybridge Suites(R), Candlewood Suites(R) and Hotel Indigo(TM), and also manages the world's largest hotel loyalty program, Priority Club(R) Rewards, with more than 23 million members worldwide. In addition to this, InterContinental Hotels Group has a controlling interest in Britvic, the second largest soft drinks manufacturer in the UK. InterContinental Hotels Group offers information and online reservations for all its hotel brands at www.ichotelsgroup.com and information for the Priority Club Rewards program at www.priorityclub.com . For the latest news from InterContinental Hotels Group, visit our online Press Office at www.ihgplc.com/media .

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