Catherine �Cat� Taylor, former director of sales for the Baymont Inn & Suites Nashville West, was appointed to the post this month.

"We created this position to support and develop brand revenue through effective direct sales and local marketing within this specific target area,� said Dan Daniele, president of Baymont Franchises International. �Baymont Inns & Suites is the first hotel franchise company that has created a regional sales position such as this whereby the brand pays the salary to support franchisees at the local level.�

Daniele said some Baymont Inns & Suites properties do not have a full time sales person on board. Therefore, the general manager, in most cases, fills the role as operations manager and sales manager simultaneously. 

�In this position, Catherine Taylor will not only strive to drive business on a regional level to these specific hotels, but she will train existing sales people on how to better market their properties,� Daniele said. �This supports our commitment to working with franchisees directly to help them boost performance.�

Sales Driven, Quality Focused

Taylor will be based in Nashville, Tenn., and will report to Baymont Inns & Suites Director of Franchise Operations Steve Clinkenbeard, who oversees the 30 hotels in the seven-state region. He said placing Taylor in this role is a significant commitment from corporate management to increase brand awareness and supports the brand�s 2003 mission to be quality focused and sales driven. 

�Creating this position compliments the strategy put in place by our President and COO Jim Abrahamson � to build brand loyalty and recognition though exceptional customer service and expanded amenities,� Clinkenbeard said. �Becoming more aggressive in our sales effort, providing exceptional customer service backed by a 110% Satisfaction Guarantee, and providing guest amenities not previously provided to guests in this segment, will immediately help our franchisees drive revenue.�

As regional sales manager, Taylor will work closely with property sales and/or general managers on identifying areas of new opportunity or areas that are in need of improvement. 

�I look forward to serving as a mentor to property sales persons when needed to further develop their sales abilities,� Taylor said. �Working together with Steve Clinkenbeard and networking with other regional and national sales directors will surely improve revenues within the region, and also support the brand�s national sales and marketing efforts.�

About Baymont Inns & Suites
Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., Baymont Inns & Suites continues to be a leading brand in the mid-market segment. The brand offers a 110% Satisfaction Guarantee, and has made a huge investment in its frequent-stay program�Guest Ovations®�with more than 260,000 members and growing. Under the 110% Satisfaction Guarantee, if any guest is dissatisfied with any aspect of his or her night's stay and the hotel is unable to resolve the problem, the guest will receive their night�s stay for free, plus a coupon for a 10-percent discount on their next stay at any Baymont Inns & Suites hotel.

In addition, Baymont�s Ovations Rooms offer upscale amenities not found in competitive mid-market hotels, such as plush pillow-top mattresses, Down Lite� pillows, fluffy towels, branded bath products and free in-room bottled water. The rooms also feature an enhanced workstation with an executive-sized desk, comfortable ergonomic chair and task lamp with a data port.

Baymont Inns & Suites operates or franchises more than 180 locations in 31 states nationwide, is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Marcus Corporation (NYSE: MCS). For more information on The Marcus Corporation, go to www.marcuscorp.com. For more information about Baymont Inns & Suites, visit www.baymontinns.com.