Calapan City - Mindoro and Luisita - Tarlac, The Philippines

Located along the coastal region of Mindoro Island, the Calapan City - Mindoro Microtel hotel features 50 double and suite accommodations, dining area, and business services.  Gov. Rod G. Valencia, the provincial governor, owns Filipiniana Calapan Resort where Microtel is the anchor project.  The Luisita - Tarlac property within the Aquino Conference Center complex features two floors and 50 rooms, and is located in the central region of Luzon Island (the largest northern island), approximately 2 ½ hours north of Manila.  The Luisita - Tarlac Microtel hotel is owned by Rapa Lopa and his partners at AC Hotel Corporation.  Microtel�s newest Philippine properties are operated by Jose Mari Del Rosario, president of Paramount Property Management, headquartered in Makati City, Manila.  Paramount Property Management will also operate the Eagle Ridge - Cavite and Santo Tomas - Batangas properties in The Philippines, scheduled to open later this year.

�We�re proud to join with Microtel Inns & Suites,� said Del Rosario.  �It is an innovative product that we believe will be widely welcomed into the Philippine marketplace.� 

Expansion in Canada

Meanwhile, Canada�s first Microtel Inn & Suites property, owned by Niagara Princess Hotel, Ltd., is currently completing phase one (64 rooms).  Located at 5064 Centre Street and scheduled for completion this summer, the hotel is less than one mile from Niagara Falls, Casino Niagara, Ripley�s Moving Theatre and numerous local and international restaurants, and less than 12 miles from the world famous Shaw Festival at Niagara on the Lake.  The second 128-room phase of the property will begin construction later this summer.  There are also 16 additional Microtel hotels in development throughout Canada. 

Expansion in Mexico

The 67-room Microtel hotel under construction in Campeche, southern Mexico, is owned by Servicio Turistico del Sureste S.A. de C.V.  A summer 2001 opening for the property is planned.  In addition, the Chihuahua Microtel property, owned by Chihuahua, Mexico-based Siframex, S.A. de C.V., Mexico�s master franchisor for the Microtel brand, is scheduled to open this summer as well, and Siframex plans to develop several more Microtel hotels throughout the country. 

�It�s exciting that Microtel is filling an important budget niche in other countries for new, high-quality hotels,� said Charlie Pereira II, director of international operations and development for US Franchise Systems (USFS), the Atlanta, Ga.-based parent company of the brand.  �Microtel is superior to everything else in its category, with rates 20 to 30 percent less than the competition.� 
Internationally, Microtel hotels are currently open in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, and Buenos Aires and Mendoza, Argentina.  Hotels are under construction in Eagle Ridge - Cavite and Santo Tomas - Batangas, The Philippines and in Chihuahua, Mexico. 

Microtel first went international when USFS entered into a master franchise agreement to bring the concept to Honduras and Central America.  USFS has also signed agreements for Microtel hotels in Argentina, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Uruguay and the Turks & Caicos Islands.

As of Dec. 31, 2000, there were 259 Microtel hotels open or under construction worldwide.