GOLDEN TULIP WELCOMES FRANCHISE HOTEL IN THE NETHERLANDS

September 08, 2007 (PRLEAP.COM) Travel News
Amersfoort (NL)/Lausanne (CH), September 8, 2007 – Golden Tulip is proud to announce the signing of a franchise agreement for the Tulip Inn Bodegraven with AC Restaurants & Hotels.

Tulip Inn Bodegraven is directly accessible from the A12 motorway and is located at Exit 12 between Utrecht and The Hague. The nearest city of significance is Gouda, which attracts both business and tourist travelers. The 64 room hotel has been renovated and restyled in August 2007 and all rooms are spacious with a modern interior. The hotel also consists of two restaurants, a bar and six meeting rooms designated for business.

Mr. H.W.R. Kennedie, President & CEO of Golden Tulip Hospitality comments: “I am very pleased with this new addition to our portfolio in the southern region of the Netherlands. Tulip Inn Bodegraven brings yet another destination to our portfolio offering our brand and standards in over 62 cities in The Netherlands.”

Mr. J. J. Isoard, Managing Director of Autogrill, adds: “This is the fifth hotel we franchise with Golden Tulip. Golden Tulip has proven to be a professional and excellent franchisor with the success that we have experienced with Tulip Inn Amsterdam Riverside, Tulip Inn Leiderdorp and Tulip Inn Oosterhout. We have the utmost confidence that this addition to the franchise portfolio of the Golden Tulip family will be a success generating great revenues.”

Mr. Th. Merks, Operations Director Benelux Autogrill adds: “It is with great excitement that we enter into this agreement. Tulip Inn in Bodegraven is yet another destination for the Golden Tulip hotel portfolio. We strongly believe that the Tulip Inn brand is an excellent three star brand combined with a very successful formula and brand recognition both in Holland as well as internationally.”

Including the Tulip Inn Bodegraven, the portfolio of Golden Tulip Hotels Inns & Resorts comprises 79 hotels in 61 cities across the Netherlands.

About Autogrill
In the global organized f&b market, Autogrill is the only player that operates almost exclusively under concession (94% of Group sales). Concession contracts, which are put out to public tender, are stipulated directly with government agencies or infrastructure operators or indirectly (sub-concessions) with companies owning the areas or rights to use them. Such contracts confer rights to operate certain services in specific locations in return for rents and royalties and subject to agreements defining investments to be made in the area under management.
Autogrill has been listed on the Milan Stock Exchange since 1997 and is controlled by Edizione Holding S.p.A. – the Benetton family’s investment arm, which holds 57.9% of share capital (through Schematrentaquattro S.r.l., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Edizione Holding S.p.A.).

About the Golden Tulip Hospitality Group
Golden Tulip Hospitality Group (www.goldentulip.com), with its head offices in Amersfoort, The Netherlands and Lausanne, Switzerland, is a worldwide hospitality company with more than 908 hotels, 81.000 rooms in more than 50 countries. The Golden Tulip Hospitality Group franchises and manages hotels in Europe, the Middle East & Africa, the Asian Pacific Region and the Americas. In 2006, Hotels Magazine has ranked this company the 18th largest hotel chain.

As a multi-brand hospitality firm, the Golden Tulip Hospitality Group offers services in the two, three, four and five star categories. On the two-star side Golden Tulip has an alliance with the French B&B hotel chain. The three-star concept is the Tulip Inn for the limited-service first-class category, the four-star category falls under the Golden Tulip brand for the Superior First-Class business and Resort hotels and the recently introduced five-star concept Royal Tulip. In addition Golden Tulip offers its services through its commercial alliance with TOP International, a German based hotel consortium.

In the fall of 2006, Golden Tulip introduced BRANCHE, Restaurant, Bar and Lounge. This is a free standing restaurant chain, which will have establishments in most Golden Tulip Hotels and Tulip Inns operated by Golden Tulip. (For more information please visit www.brancherestaurants.com)

For more information, please contact:
Golden Tulip Hospitality Group
Ms. Rocio Manzanares –
Corporate Communication Manager
Tel: +31 33 2544 828
Fax: +31 33 2544 816
E-Mail: rocio.manzanares@goldentuliptop.com
Web: www.goldentulip.com