Mike Leven, president & CEO of USFS, who opened the proceedings, commented, �USFS has experienced rapid growth and is a different company than it was just a few years ago when we hosted our first Industry Consultants Conference.  We thought it important to update this influential constituency on our progress to date, and plans for the year 2000 and beyond.� 

According to Steve Romaniello, executive vice president, franchise sales, operations and administration, �USFS has established itself as a leading hotel franchisor in less than five years in business.  Our Microtel brand will reach 200 open hotels this spring, making it the fastest growing brand in its segment, and our Hawthorn and Best Inns & Suites brands are also experiencing similar rapid growth.� 

USFS� vice presidents of brand marketing each addressed the marketing plan for their brand for 2000 and beyond, focusing on several promotions that are just making their debut: 

• Vinay Patel of Microtel Inn & Suites outlines a promotion scheduled for May 15 to Oct. 15, 2000, that �will rock the hotel industry by offering guests a chance to win $1,000,000 and other great prizes, everyday for 150 straight days,� said Patel.  �All they have to do is call the Microtel reservations center, go to our web site or visit their travel agent, book a room and stay the night.  The program is called �Reserve Your $1,000,000 Today.�   Patel also announced Microtel�s second �Millennium Madness� that will offer savings when guests book online from March 15 to April 30, 2000 (single accommodations are priced at $32; doubles and suites at $42).  The program, which first ran in January, prompted a 200% increase in reservations volume.
• For Best Inns & Suites, Rick Welch announced the debut of the �Evergreen� program, �which will not only make Best the friendliest, but the healthiest hotels in North America,� he said.  �Best Inns is perfectly positioned to capitalize on Americans� growing concern about their health, air and water quality, and to attract the many health-conscious environmentally-sensitive travelers looking for extra value and comfort as well.� Evergreen, which has been a pilot effort in five Best properties since last fall, will now be installed in all Best hotels with 10 accommodations at each hotel offering special air filtration and water filter systems.  The program is being conducted at no cost to franchisees. 
• Steve Hymans of Hawthorn pointed to the debut of a program that is bringing high-speed, wireless Internet service to every room in the system and �will put Hawthorn out front with a feature that surely meets the needs of the Hawthorn customer� Hawthorn will be the first brand to provide customers access to theft-proof laptops and wireless high-speed Internet service that they can use anywhere on the property� in-room, at the pool, while eating breakfast in the Hawthorn Room.�  Laptop installations for the previously-announced joint venture with ImOn� Hospitality begin this month, with the entire system to be completed in six months.  Hymans also discussed the brand�s �Sleep Once� Twice� Sold @hawthorn.com� promotion, which runs through Dec. 14, 2000.  Guests receive 1,000 �Auction Dollars� for every room night they buy, and go to Hawthorn�s web site to place bids for such valuable items as a new Jaguar S-type sedan. 

U.S. Franchise Systems was formed in 1995 by Leven, a 40-year veteran of the lodging industry, and Neal Aronson, former principal of Odyssey Partners, a New York investment firm, with a customer-oriented, quick-response culture that has enabled it to grow faster than any other new franchise company in the industry.