The Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Ironton has recently been recognized for its quality of services by its parent company.

The Ironton location received the 2018 Quality Excellence Award by InterContinental Hotels Group, a global organization with a broad portfolio of hotel brands, including Holiday Inn Express & Suites properties.

“We received it in February, but it was for the 2018 year,” Regina Chaffin, general manager of the location, said.

The 79-unit location opened on Nov. 7, 2014 and employs about 24 people, she said.

The hotel, located at 401 S. Ninth St., was one of the first parts of the redevelopment of the Gateway Centre in that part of town, which also features the Frisch’s Big Boy restaurant and will soon see the opening of the Armory Smokehouse, among other businesses.

According to a news release from IHG, the Quality Excellence Award is presented to Elite status hotels that have achieved superior levels of excellence and meet eligibility requirements and criteria regarding the property’s 12-month “Guest Love Score,” license status, standards evaluation and management action plan. The 2018 Quality Excellence Award presented this spring is based on hotel records from Jan. 1, 2018- Dec. 31, 2018.

  “Our team is tremendously proud to receive this honor from IHG,” Chafin said in the earlier news release. “I’d like to convey our sincere thanks to our guests for sharing their positive experiences at the property as well as our internal team for their devotion to guest satisfaction and maintaining excellence throughout the hotel operation. We’re proud to serve our local community which is also very supportive.”

The Holiday Inn Express & Suites Ironton is owned by MPH Hotels and managed by MPH Hotels, under a license agreement with InterContinental Hotels Group.

“The hospitality industry plays a big part in America’s vacations, life transitions and business opportunities,” Alan Hardway, vice president of operations for MPH Hotels, Inc., said in the news release. “Regardless of the reason the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Ironton becomes your temporary home away from home, this award is just one more reason you can rest assure you’ll enjoy the utmost customer service and best in class facility during your stay.”

In an interview for The Tribune’s Profile section earlier this year, Mayor Katrina Keith cited the opening of the Holiday Inn, as well, as one of the biggest economic developments for the region.

“We went so many years without a hotel,” she said. “And now we’re at the place where we have two hotels and are growing in restaurants there.”