Howard County's first Holiday Inn Express, a 98-room hotel located at 6064 Marshalee Drive, held its grand opening in Elkridge this week.

Construction began in June 2008 on the hotel, which employs 18 people and officially opened for business June 16, according to a company spokeswoman.

The location will show off the new Holiday Inn Express sign, part of a $1 billion "relaunch" of the Holiday Inn chain that began in 2007. There are 1,745 Holiday Inn Express hotels in North and South America, with another 600 in the pipeline, according to the company.

Holiday Inn Express is owned by the InterContinental Hotels Groups, which includes InterContinental Hotels and Resorts, Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts and Staybridge Suites.

Columbia is home to a Holiday Inn, but the Elkridge hotel is the county's first Holiday Inn Express.

-- Derek Simmonsen

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