BASS JOINS MARRIOTT, HYATT, CLUBCORP IN WORLD’S LARGEST HOSPITALITY PROCUREMENT B2B New Company Named AVENDRA LLC.

Bass Hotels & Resorts [LON:BAS, NYSE:BAS (ADRs)] has joined Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE:MAR), Hyatt Hotels Corporation and Club Corp USA Inc. in the launch of the newly named Avendra LLC. Avendra will be the largest Internet-enabled business-to-business hospitality procurement company in the world and is poised to provide an $80 billion hospitality market with ready-made pathways to thousands of products and services that deliver superior pricing, quality and service. Together, the participants manage or franchise more than 5,500 properties worldwide.

“We are delighted that a company with the stature and scope of Bass, with leading brands like Holiday Inn and Inter-Continental Hotels, is joining Avendra,” said Dennis Baker, president and chief operating officer of Avendra LLC.

Ravi Saligram, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Bass Hotels & Resorts, said, “Joining Avendra will provide significant opportunities for Bass to drive process efficiencies by impacting the entire supply chain and leveraging a superior e-procurement technology platform. The alliance of these major companies provides critical mass that will help drive standardization, improve economies across the supply chain and offer better consumer value. We believe this will be of significant benefit for both our owned and managed hotels and franchisees.”

“Avendra is a customer-centric company, said Brian Weed, executive vice president of marketing, development and strategy, for Avendra. “Our customers have told us they want to access Avendra’s superior vendor programs how, when and where they choose – whether by phone, fax, in person or on the Internet.”

He continued, “Avendra is not a virtual company. Through its founders, Avendra begins procurement operations in North America and the Carribean with a proven track record, leveraging our enormous industry expertise with a leading technology platform.”

In developing an identity for the new company, Marriott, Bass, Hyatt and Club Corp focused on a concept that conveyed the combined strength of proven procurement and vendor relationships with an e-enabled B2B technology platform powered by GoCo-op, a leading Internet technology provider based near Orlando, Fla.

Said Baker, “Extensive research involving current customers, new market segments, owners and managers led us to select the name Avendra as representing the aggressive and dynamic business goals of our new company. Avendra signifies the concept of offering customers and suppliers multiple avenues to successful, strategic vending and purchasing relationships.”

Marriott, Bass, Hyatt and Club Corp continue to migrate their procurement businesses to Avendra, which will be formally launched later this year. The company will be headquartered in Montgomery County, Md., just outside of Washington, D.C., with regional offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and other key markets. Avendra will have an initial staff of more than 100.