Move over, Rooty Tooty Fresh 'N Fruity. There's a new hotcake in town. InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), parent company of the Holiday Inn family of brands, have unveiled pancakes as the secret weapon for the newly revamped Holiday Inn Express hotels.

All of the business traveler-oriented Express properties will introduce a 24-hour market center with grab-and-go options, and an industry-first: a pancake machine, by March 31, 2011. Thirty test hotels already offer the machine, which uses commercial bags of pre-made mix (just add water!). Dollops of batter drop onto a Teflon-coated cooking belt, yielding a perfectly cooked, great-tasting product, every time. The machines produce one pancake every 18 seconds, ensuring even the hungriest executives will get their fill.

IHG is nearing completion on its three-year Holiday Inn brand relaunch campaign. One of the biggest changes has been the implementation of the "social hub" concept, which, according to HotelNewsNow.com, takes "what has traditionally been separate parts of the lobby--the bar, the food and beverage area, [and] the lounge area--and bring[s] them together in one space." The thinking is that such enforced coziness will provide an "environment to relax, eat, have fun, work, spend time with family, friends or colleagues," says Verchele Wiggins, VP of global brand management for Holiday Inn.

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