It should come as no surprise that a $100 million hotel featuring a sponge that lives in a pineapple under the sea and two Fairly OddParents would do things, well, a little differently than others, especially when it comes to their travel agents.

Officially opening in spring 2005, the Nickelodeon Family Suites by Holiday Inn, will not only be the first-choice place to stay for kids and their families, but for travel agents as well by combining the world�s leading entertainment brand for kids, with the most family-friendly resort in the nation and new travel agent incentives.

At a time when many in the hospitality industry are turning away from agents and decreasing commissions, this first-of-its-kind Nickelodeon hotel in the world�s leading family travel destination is bucking the trend. Not only are agents welcome, they are considered key to the hotel�s marketing strategy � so much so that the hotel is providing a 13 percent commission to all agents who complete a brief training course through Nickelodeon �You.�

The training course for travel agents is delivered in the true spirit of Nickelodeon. Instead of a staid, corporate meeting with graphs and charts, Nickelodeon �You� (Nick �You�) will be conducted in Nick style, with an emphasis on games and activities that showcase the elements that set Nickelodeon Family Suites by Holiday Inn apart from any other family hotel in the world.

�We are actively encouraging guests to work with their local travel agents to book vacations with us, but to make it work we must quickly educate agents about the amenities and services that make this property unique,� said Nickelodeon Family Suites

Vice President of Marketing & Sales, Dawn Grigsby. �This is an immersive experience for the entire family � kids and parents alike will be able to get up close and personal with the beloved and famous creations of Nickelodeon while enjoying a vacation like none other.� Unlike other industry training programs, Nickelodeon Family Suites by Holiday Inn vows not to lower commissions for agents who choose not to enroll. �Our standard agent commission will remain 10 percent,� said hotel President Terry Whaples. �We won�t penalize anyone for not taking the course; rather, we are providing an incentive for those who do.�

Lasting just under an hour, the training course will be offered over the next 12 months in locations throughout the United States. Agents will participate in activities designed to showcase the hotel�s unique suite offerings and Nick-themed activities, and will complete a short, interactive �quiz.� Upon graduation, agents will be awarded a certificate of completion and added to the Nick �You� database to receive 13 percent commission on direct bookings through the hotel or Holiday Inn reservation channels, starting January 1, 2005. Agents who cannot attend one of the training courses can still earn their diploma by studying the nickhotel.com website and taking the online quiz located on the Travel Agent Page. Nick �You� graduates also will earn the right to discounted travel industry rates in order to experience the resort for themselves. �After all, the best way to sell a hotel such as this is to experience it,� said Grigsby.

The Nickelodeon Family Suites by Holiday Inn represents a partnership between Nickelodeon and Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts. The award-winning Holiday Inn Family Suites Resort, located in Lake Buena Vista and convenient to Orlando�s major theme-park attractions, is being transformed into a first-of-its-kind Nickelodeon-themed environment. Nick will add its signature entertainment and style to the current hotel�s 800 suites that include two- and three-bedroom Kidsuites that give kids their own space and entertainment areas and provide parents with a comfortable, family-focused environment.

The existing resort property will undergo a $20 million transformation to make it even more kid-friendly, with Nick-decorated bedrooms for kids, two water-park style pools with waterslides and flumes, wake-up calls from Nick stars and daily character breakfasts, live Nickelodeon entertainment and much more. The new hotel is set to officially open in spring 2005, and Holiday Inn Family Suites Resort will continue to welcome guests during the transformation period. For more information about Nickelodeon Family Suites by Holiday Inn visit www.nickhotel.com or call 1-866-GO2-NICK.

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Nickelodeon, which is celebrating its landmark 25th anniversary this year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon�s U.S. television network is seen in more than 86 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for more than eight consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.

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