ADVERTISING : Holiday Inn Pulls Super Bowl Ad

The Holiday Inn hotel chain has discontinued a commercial it began running during the Super Bowl, saying it did not intend to offend viewers. The ad showed a transsexual at a class reunion and was meant to dramatize hotel renovations. But critics found it insulting to women and in bad taste. It was the first spot for Holiday Inn by Minneapolis ad agency Fallon McElligott, which won the $30-million account in August. Craig Smith, vice president of Atlanta-based Holiday Inns Worldwide, said the ad agency was not in danger of losing the business. High-profile Super Bowl duds have cost agencies work in the past. “We have a strong relationship, and it will continue to be going forward,” Smith said.