Washington, May 22, 2001 - Ramada Franchise Systems signed 50,000 rooms to the American Hotel & Lodging Association's (AH&LA) "One for One for One for 100 Days" membership campaign.  The association's new membership drive allows properties to join participating AH&LA member state associations for $1 per one room for one year if they enroll within the campaign's 100-day span - from Memorial Day to Labor Day.  Ramada is offering the initial AH&LA memberships on a complimentary basis to its franchise properties on a first-come, first served basis. 

"We are very proud to be the first major hotel franchise to offer this privilege to its licensees and general managers, and we know they will find it valuable and rewarding," said Steve Belmonte, Ramada president and CEO.  "Ramada has agreed to absorb this cost, and we feel confident that once experiencing the tremendous benefits for one year they will want to continue as an active member going forward."

AH&LA membership allows Ramada properties to receive several new benefits offered by the association, including an employment practices liability insurance program and a national health insurance plan.  These are in addition to valuable existing products and services such as access to millions of travelers through AH&LA's reservations Web site, GotRooms.com; lobbying to protect the lodging industry's business interests at the federal level; networking and educational opportunities at the association's conferences and trade shows; discounts on training materials from AH&LA's Educational Institute; and complimentary, award-winning publications, including Lodging magazine.

"Our goal is to retain a strong and large membership base with this aggressive membership drive," said 2001 AH&LA Chairman John Russell.  "With the enormous support of rooms from Ramada, I'm sure we can accomplish this."
For more information on AH&LA's membership campaign, contact Bob Ramsey, AH&LA vice president of industry relations and development, at (202) 289-3173 or [email protected].

Ramada Franchise Systems, Inc., a subsidiary of Cendant Corporation (NYSE: CD), is a mid- to upper-mid market chain of over 1,000 Ramada Limited, Inn, and Plaza Hotel properties throughout the United States. 

AH&LA, founded in 1910, is a federation of state lodging associations throughout the United States, with some 11,000 property members worldwide, representing more than 1.4 million rooms.  AH&LA provides operations, technical, educational, marketing, and communications services plus governmental affairs representation to the lodging industry.