Red Lion Recognized for Local. Wise. Brand Initiative at Major Hospitality Industry Conference

SPOKANE, Wash., Jan. 27, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Red Lion Hotels Corporation (NYSE: RLH) today announced the company has earned recognition for its Local. Wise. brand initiative at one of the hospitality industry's leading conferences.  The company is one of four that has been invited to participate on a panel for innovative new ideas at the Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS).

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"Moving forward, hotels are differentiating themselves in an increasingly competitive and complex market by promoting a more local travel experience or, what more and more travelers of all ages refer to as an authentic' travel experience," says Harry Sladich, Executive Vice President of Sales, Marketing & Distribution for Red Lion Hotels Corporation and a Board Member of both U.S Travel Association and Destination & Travel Foundation.  "The new generation of business travelers are savvy; they expect more from their travel experience, and they see business travel as an opportunity to see the nation and the world."

Sladich will appear on a panel at ALIS today, Monday, Jan. 27, 2014, at 1pm PT.  He will be one of four panelists to be interviewed by Jeff Weinstein, Editor in Chief of HOTELS magazine.

Sladich conceived and developed Local. Wise., a brand-wide initiative which gives opportunities for Red Lion associates to deliver an authentic insider experience which impacts each and every touch point the hotels have with guests.  The company is in the process of launching phase one of Local. Wise., including interactive individual hotel websites for each property that focus on the experiences in the region, van wraps with clever sayings and local attractions, and nametags selected by associates that position them as local experts with, "Ask me where I" questions.

Phase two and three are planned for later this year.  The beauty of Local.Wise. is it encourages Red Lion associates to take ownership of their knowledge of the market they serve and it celebrates employee participation in carrying out the Red Lion personality: Welcoming, Genuine, Friendly, Proactive, Quirky and Uniquely Local.

About Americas Lodging Investment Summit:
Co-hosted by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) and Burba Hotel Network (BHN), the two-and-a-half-day ALIS event features an extensive array of seminars and panels hosted by leading experts and investors discussing important trends and identifying new opportunities.  The conference attracts the lodging industry's leading hotel executives, investors, lenders, developers, and professional advisory community.  Proceeds from ALIS benefit the educational, research, and training missions of the American Hotel & Lodging Education Foundation (AH&LEF), AH&LA's nonprofit affiliate.  For information on the Foundation, visit www.ahlef.org.

Online registration is available via the ALIS Website.  For general event information and sponsorship opportunities, contact BHN Conference Manager Jodi Braverman at [email protected]. 

About Red Lion Hotels Corporation:
Red Lion Hotels Corporation is a hospitality company primarily engaged in the franchising, ownership and operation of hotels located in ten states and one Canadian province. As of Jan. 27, 2014, the company has 55 hotels system wide. The Red Lion Hotels and Red Lion Inn & Suites network is comprised of 53 hotels with 9,195 rooms and 462,822 square feet of meeting space. The Leo Hotel Collection is comprised of two hotels with 3,256 rooms and 241,000 square feet of meeting space. The company also owns and operates an entertainment and event ticket distribution business. For more information, please visit the company's website at www.redlion.com.

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Contact: Pam Scott
Red Lion Hotels Corporation
509-777-6393 (d)
509-570-4610 (c)
[email protected]
www.RedLion.com

SOURCE Red Lion Hotels Corporation