CHICAGO, Ill. (April 15, 2013) – Ultima Hospitality, an industry leader providing full service and select-service hotel management, in partnership with Argosy Real Estate, announces the completion of a multi-million dollar renovation of the Holiday Inn® Express Mill Valley San Francisco Area hotel in southern Marin County, CA. The 100-room hotel purchased last year by Ultima Hospitality and Argosy Real Estate was recently re-branded as a Holiday Inn Express hotel, and announces extensive improvements including a redesign of all guestrooms, remodeled public space and enhancements to the property’s exterior.

“This renovation was designed to be completely customer-focused, increasing the value to our guests,” said Mark Zettl, chief operating officer, Ultima Hospitality. “Our goal is to not only meet, but rather exceed guests’ expectations as well as our Holiday Inn Express brand partner’s standards.”

Guest rooms feature comfortable queen or king-sized beds, a sitting area with a lounge chair and an in-room coffee machine. Each guest room features contemporary styling, a 42-inch HD flat screen TV, iPod docking station and complimentary wireless Internet access. Many rooms are complete with a spacious deck or patio. Additional amenities include a heated outdoor pool area with an expansive deck, private cabanas, a whirlpool spa and an outdoor fire pit. A business center, modern fitness center and multiple meeting and event spaces are also available. Guests enjoy daily breakfast, bicycle rentals, welcome coffee and tea at check-in and s’mores kits each evening.

“The final enhancements combined with our customer service, will take this hotel experience to the next level. The breathtaking mountain view and scenery of Marin County, only further the location’s success,” said Zettl.

Guests at the Holiday Inn Express Mill Valley San Francisco Area hotel experience a comfortable and smart environment with innovative preferred guest upgrades to ensure a pleasurable experience. Business travelers will find large desks with ergonomic chairs, free local and toll free phones with private voicemail, and complimentary USA TODAY® newspapers.

The hotel also offers the complimentary Express Start® breakfast bar which features a full range of breakfast items including a rotation of egg and meat selections, biscuits, yogurt, fruit, pancakes and the brand’s proprietary cinnamon roll and Smart Roast® coffee. The SimplySmart™ shower incorporates a proprietary StaySmart™ Kohler showerhead, signature shower curtain with curved rod, upgraded 100 percent cotton terry towels and a line of Bath & Body Works®, White Citrus bath products. Guests will enjoy the SimplySmart™ bedding collection where they will find crisp fresh bedding that features an attractive decorative throw, a medium-weight duvet blanket and soft, 200 thread-count sheets.

Located at the base of Mount Tamalpais, the Holiday Inn Express Mill Valley San Francisco Area hotel is five miles from the northern terminus of the Golden Gate Bridge and 11 miles from downtown San Francisco. The hotel overlooks peaceful and environmentally protected wetlands, numerous bike paths and is within proximity to several of Northern California’s most visited attractions, including Muir Woods, Stinson Beach and the renowned Napa Valley wine country.

The Holiday Inn Express Mill Valley San Francisco Area is owned by Argosy Real Estate and Ultima Hospitality and is franchised by an affiliate of IHG. Reservations can be made by calling 1-800-HOLIDAY or by going to IHG.com/HolidayInnExpress.

Holiday Inn Express brand hotels participate in IHG’s guest loyalty program, Priority Club® Rewards, soon to be named IHG® Rewards Club this July. The industry’s fast-growing guest loyalty program with 71 million members is free and guests can enroll by logging on at priorityclub.com, by calling 1-888-211-9874 or by inquiring at the front desk of this hotel or any of IHG’s more than 4,600 hotels worldwide.

About Ultima Hospitality
Ultima Hospitality is a Chicago-based hospitality management and real estate investment group. As the management arm of Waterton Commercial Properties, Ultima Hospitality manages both full and select-service properties leveraging more than 150 years of experience in hospitality and commercial real estate management among its senior leadership. Ultima Hospitality and its affiliates’ hotel portfolio include the Westin Columbus, OH, Sheraton Madison, WI, Sheraton Framingham, MA, and Doubletree Skokie, IL. A results-driven organization, Ultima Hospitality provides owners and investors with superior capital management, cost containment and extensive resources to ensure successful management in a constantly changing business environment. More information can be found at www.ultimahospitality.com.

About Argosy Real Estate
Argosy Real Estate specializes in opportunistic real estate investments. Over the past 20 years we have partnered through joint venture structures with entrepreneurial management teams possessing significant local market knowledge and a demonstrated track record of success. Argosy currently has in excess of $150 million of assets under management, serving both institutional investors and high net worth individuals.  For more information, please visit www.argosyrealestate.com.

About Holiday Inn Express
Holiday Inn Express hotels are modern hotels for value-oriented travelers.  Fresh, clean and uncomplicated, Holiday Inn Express hotels offer competitive rates for both business and leisure travelers.  Guests Stay Smart® at Holiday Inn Express hotels where they enjoy a free hot Express Start® Breakfast Bar, free high-speed Internet access and free local phone calls (US and Canada only).  There are currently more than 2,100 Holiday Inn Express hotel locations around the globe.  For more information about Holiday Inn Express hotels or to book reservations, call 1-800-HOLIDAY or visit www.hiexpress.com.