Home Inns Announces Granting of 'Well-Known Trademark' Certification Within China

SHANGHAI, China, April 11 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Home Inns & Hotels Management Inc. (Nasdaq: HMIN), a leading economy hotel chain in China, today announced that the Company’s trademark, “Home Inns,” has been granted official status as a ‘well-known trademark’ in China by the Chinese State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC). Home Inns becomes one of the earliest Chinese hotel companies and the first Chinese economy hotel chain to obtain a “well-known trademark” status, marking a significant achievement for Home Inns and further enhancing the brand’s reputation.

The granting of a ‘well-known trademark’ is an acknowledgement by SAIC that a trademark has become widely recognized throughout China and possesses significant value. Such a trademark is then certified according to certain objective standards and criteria set forth in China’s trademark law. “Home Inns” had become a broadly recognized brand in China even before the “well-known trademark” status was officially granted to it. Now, the scope of Home Inns’ trademark protection in China is further supported by the receipt of the ‘well-known trademark’ certification from SAIC.

“We are honored to be the first in China’s economy hotel industry to receive the ‘well-known trademark’ status, which indicates that the Home Inns corporate brand has become widely recognized nationwide and is valued by the Chinese public,” commented Mr. David Sun, Home Inn’s Chief Executive Officer. “This is a result of our on-going investment in our brand and our dedicated efforts to protect our trademark. The certification from SAIC provides us with the ability to more effectively prevent infringement on our brand, and ensures that every Home Inns hotel meets the value, quality and service expectations of our customers.”

Since its inception, Home Inns has focused on branding and the protection of its intellectual property. After its launch, the Company legally registered the “Home Inns” trademark. However, given the rapid expansion of the industry and its popular brand and product, Home Inns faced trademark infringements which threatened to negatively impact the brand’s image. This “well-known trademark” certification is an opportunity for Home Inns to further strengthen the protection of its business and branding reputation. Currently, the Home Inns hotel chain consists of over 400 economy hotels, including hotels under development, in over 90 major business cities in China, and has won several awards, including “Chinese Pioneer Brand of China’s Hotel Industry”, “Top 20 Chinese Brands in China’s Hotel Industry”, “The Most Competitive Chinese Brand in China’s Hotel Industry”, “The Highest Potential Local Hotel Brand in China”, “Global Five-Star Gold Diamond Award- China’s Top 10 Hotel Brand Group” and “The Best Brand in China’s Economy Hotel Industry.”

About Home Inns

Home Inns is a leading economy hotel chain in China based on the number of hotels and hotel rooms, as well as the geographic coverage of the hotel chain. Since Home Inns commenced operations in 2002, it has become one of the best-known economy hotel brands in China. Home Inns offers a consistent product and high-quality services to primarily serve the fast growing population of value-conscious individual business and leisure travelers who demand clean, comfortable and convenient lodging. Home Inns’ ADSs, each of which represents two ordinary shares, are currently trading on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol “HMIN.” For more information about Home Inns, please visit http://english.homeinns.com .

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

Angela Li

Home Inns & Hotels Management Inc.

Tel: +86-21-3218-9988 x2004

Email: xlli@homeinns.com

FD Beijing

Julian Wilson

Tel: +86-10-8591-1951

Email: julian.wilson@fd.com

Peter Schmidt

Tel: +86-10-8591-1953

Email: peter.schmidt@fd.com