ST. ROBERT, MO.� (September 20, 2002) Don Hayden knew that his career in the U.S. Army was one that was not going to last a lifetime, so when he and his wife Diane began thinking about post-army days they considered their options.

"It was fairly quickly that we decided owning a hotel would be an interesting and exciting opportunity," said Don Hayden of St. Robert, Mo. "The question was which brand of hotel to build and the answer eventually came easily � Baymont Inn & Suites."

Now, the dream of a second career is approaching reality as the Haydens prepare to break ground on their hotel, which will open in 2003. The property will have four stories with 68 guestrooms in a community with a population of about 2,500, but that's not counting the 45,000 people on the Fort Leonard Wood army base from which Hayden is retiring.

"Much of our business is expected to come from the base," Hayden said. "I've been an instructor there and we have had to house students as far as 30 miles away. There simply are not enough rooms in the area for soldiers who come in for education and training programs."

Hayden is accustomed to inspections in army life, and inspection is one of the reasons he chose Baymont.

"That was one of the things that really won Diane and me over � Baymont's inspection program," Hayden said. "They are very concerned with quality and their inspections prove that fact. If you fall below standards, they will re-inspect you, but the property must be brought up to standards in that time."

Diane Hayden said the couple considered several other options as they searched for the right hotel flag to fly on their new property. Baymont's commitment to working closely with its franchisees was one of the things that clinched the deal.

"Baymont's team has this philosophy where they say they will work with us, teach us to succeed in the hotel business," Diane Hayden said. "We know that we can count on Baymont for its support. They have been with us every step of the way so far and that's important for a couple getting into the hotel business for the first time."

Personal experience

Bob Caston, vice president of franchise development at Baymont, said working with the Haydens has been a pleasure, and he said it puts the focus on Baymont's ability to work with new franchisees and teach them what it takes to operate a hotel.

"Baymont can look at new franchisees and honestly tell them what it takes to succeed as a franchisee because it is a company that also owns and operates its own hotels," Caston said. "Our commitment to franchisees is strengthened because their success will help the company-owned Baymonts. And our franchisees know that our commitment to our own properties further strengthens the chain and helps their properties."

Caston said working with the Haydens and developing a property in St. Robert are important aspects of what makes Baymont successful.

"We understand there are people out there with the talent and commitment for the hotel industry, and we see the importance of smaller communities that are viable locations for new Baymonts," he said. "This new Baymont with the Haydens as owners will be a very strong link in our chain."

As a new franchisee, the Haydens are eligible for Baymont's performance based franchising guarantee made for new franchises. The program states that: in the event that a hotel is significantly under-performing, the franchisee may elect to exit the Baymont system. In many instances, the franchisee may qualify for a significant reduction, or elimination of liquidated damages.

"We did not select Baymont because they have better Performance Criteria than all the other brands. We chose Baymont because they have the confidence to offer Performance Criteria," Diane Hayden said. "We won't need to use the guarantee because we are confident that this will be a very successful hotel.

"The other brands seemed to want only our money, but Baymont is as interested in our success as we are interested in Baymont's success,� she said.