What a difference a new shower curtain makes.

"People love them," said John Severino, general manager of the Holiday Inn University Center in Oakland.

Flinging back the ecru-colored curtain, he revealed a nicely tiled bathtub, with Bath & Body Works soap in the holder and a specialized shower head that keeps the water pressure stable, even when hotel guests are turning the water on and off all around.

"With the old curtains, the bathroom felt dark. But with this [netting] at the top, it just lets in the light," said Mr. Severino, who has been with the Oakland hotel for 3 1/2 years.

Bringing in more light is just one of the touches that has helped make University Center a shining star in a massive campaign by InterContinental Hotels Group to "refresh" 1,300 hotels worldwide in its line of Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express properties. All 3,300 properties are expected to undergo this process by the end of next year.

The rebranding was in response to the idea that Holiday Inn could be synonymous with the image of dark, tired furniture and cigarette burns on the bedspread.

But it's also a brand name that evokes nostalgia. Not long after Kemmons Wilson founded the chain in 1952, Holiday Inns sprouted like mushrooms along the highways and byways of America.

Mr. Wilson, appalled by the condition of roadside motels and rates that charged per child, vowed to make his hotel chain a symbol of clean, reliable lodging. Many of us still remember family road trips, stopping by the Holiday Inn, taking a swim; after all, every property had a pool.

Kevin Kowalski, senior vice president of global brand management for Holiday Inn, said that "we all have some kind of good memories of Holiday Inn. It's part of the emotional equity of the brand.

"That kind of emotional power is one of the key strengths of our brand."

Because most of IHG's Holiday Inns are franchised, it has been difficult for guests to guess the level of service -- or upkeep.

"We're trying to create consistency with our renovations," Mr. Severino said.

In an industry that's experiencing the biggest depression in domestic business since 9/11, things are looking up for Holiday Inn, one of seven hotel brands franchised or managed by IHG.

And one of the best improved performers since the renovations began has been the Oakland Holiday Inn. Make no mistake -- it's not The Four Seasons. But the combination of a recent, six-month renovation, a highly desirable location and IHG's rebranding of the line has produced a winner.

In the hotel industry, success is measured by revenue per available room, or revPAR. Once vacation season ends at Labor Day, business travel season begins and revPAR, which is most effectively measured using specific periods of time, appears to be down nationally about 18.5 percent from this time last year.

RevPAR for the Holiday Inn University Center is up more than 17 percent.

"That was pretty unexpected," Mr. Severino said.

PFK Hospitality Research, which tracks the travel industry, forecast revPAR figures to be down 8.8 percent this year in Pittsburgh but projected a 4.7 percent increase in the coming months.

Joe McGrath, VisitPittsburgh president and CEO, cited estimates from Smith Travel -- another industry tracker -- that put Pittsburgh's revPAR loss at 5.2 percent.

"And when you add in September, with the G-20 and the AFL-CIO [meetings], we will bounce back strong," he said.

According to University Center's Mr. Severino, 25 percent of the Holiday Inn University Center's business centers around visitors to the area's hospitals, with the bulk of the remainder tied to the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon, Carlow and Chatham universities.

"We finished our renovation in February of last year, and fresh off that came the Holiday Inn edict [to 'rebrand' properties]," Mr. Severino said.

The Holiday Inn was built in 1988 near the site of the old Syria Mosque. One block off Fifth Avenue on Lytton, it is ideally situated next to a UPMC medical center on one side and numerous Pitt buildings nearby.

"We have a great relationship with the university and the hospital," Mr. Severino said.

Creating a "new" Holiday Inn begins with a core of key elements. The "arrival package" brought redesigned signage and lighting that Mr. Kowalski termed "fresh and current."

New uplighting -- blue for Holiday Inn Express, green for full-service Holiday Inns -- and updated landscaping, he said, "serve as a spotlight or beacon" when guests pull up to the front door.

The lobbies were de-cluttered, and the hotels undergoing renovation were stripped of old wall coverings and carpeting. Marble-topped sinks were installed, bathtubs retiled.

Gone are bedspreads, replaced by three soft layers of duvet and sheets that are washed for each new guest.

"You check into [another] hotel, and that bedspread, you don't know where it's been," Mr. Severino said. "To change the linen daily, it adds value to the customer experience."

The hotel is nonsmoking, with eight floors of standard rooms and a top "executive edition" level that has its own lounge.

Standard rates are $179 per night, with executive level costing $30 more, although discount rates could be found recently on a number of travel booking Web sites.

Beyond the physical changes, Holiday Inn is re-training employees through its "Stay Real" program.

"We want our employees treating people as real people, not stuffy, scripted service you get from other hotels," Mr. Kowalski said. "Holiday Inn is all about it being a casual, relaxed, unpretentious place where you're not judged, a place you can bring the kids."

The travel Web site Tripadvisor.com confirms that. Most of the 50-plus reviews for the Oakland hotel were positive, often citing location and the relaxed atmosphere as positives.

"This is a home more than a hotel for guests," Mr. Severino said.

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