Holiday Inn Relaunches 1000th Hotel
Holiday Inn Relaunches 1000th Hotel
New Holiday Inn Express(R) in Times Square, New York, opens as part of the biggest relaunch in hospitality history
NEW YORK, July 24 - IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON: IHG, NYSE: IHG (ADRs)], the world’s largest hotel company, today announced the opening of its 1000th relaunched Holiday Inn hotel - the Holiday Inn Express New York City Times Square.
The $1 billion relaunch of Holiday Inn is the largest in the history of the hospitality industry, with more than 3,200 hotels around the world being updated - improving quality and driving consistency at Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express hotels from Boston to Beijing.
In addition to the 3,200 open hotels, there are another 1,050 in the development pipeline, due to open with the relaunched branding in the next three to four years. The relaunch program, combined with new openings and continued removal of lower quality hotels, will completely rejuvenate the Holiday Inn estate over the next few years.
Andy Cosslett, IHG’s CEO, said, “The opening of our 1000th relaunched Holiday Inn hotel is the latest milestone on our three year journey and demonstrates the momentum behind the program. Despite the tough economic climate, we’ve relaunched, on average, four hotels a day for the past six months, and we’re committed to completing the global relaunch by the end of 2010.
Relaunched hotels are benefiting from improved guest satisfaction and an average RevPAR (revenue per available room) outperformance of more than 5%. And the feedback we’re getting from our guests and hotel owners tells us it’s the right time to be doing this. The economic environment has changed since we started the program, but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to show people that the Holiday Inn they came to know and love over the last 50 years is still a hotel that’s right for them today.”
The relaunch focuses on the things research shows matter most to guests - a modern, contemporary hotel with efficient, friendly service and a great night’s sleep. Relaunched hotels feature:
— Upgraded and decluttered lobby areas
— A Holiday Inn scent and sound
— New bedding
— Upgraded showers and bathroom amenities
— New exterior lighting and landscaping
— New signage with the redesigned logo
— All Holiday Inn employees also go through an extensive “Stay Real”
training program to ensure guests receive the level of service they
expect.
“The Holiday Inn Express New York City Times Square represents the substantial changes we are making to improve the experience our guests have at each of our hotels around the world,” said Kevin Kowalski, senior vice president, Global Brand Management, Holiday Inn Brands. “As a key market for the brand, New York City is the perfect backdrop for this global milestone in the Holiday Inn brand relaunch and further strengthens our position in the industry.”
On average, 26 million people a year visit New York’s Times Square, and the 210-room Holiday Inn Express New York City Times Square is surrounded by the city’s biggest tourist attractions including Broadway, Rockefeller Center and the Empire State Building. The hotel is located at 343 West 39th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues in midtown Manhattan, with LaGuardia (LGA) and JFK International (JFK) both less than 30 minutes away. To make a reservation, please call 1-800-HOLIDAY or visit http://www.holidayinn.com.
The Holiday Inn Express New York City Times Square is owned by M&R Hotel, LLC, and managed by Hersha Hospitality, under a license agreement with a company in the InterContinental Hotels Group.
Notes to Editors:
About Holiday Inn Relaunch
Holiday Inn is in the midst of the biggest relaunch in hospitality history creating a more contemporary brand image including a new logo, and driving consistency in all 3,296 Holiday Inn brand family hotels around the world. With over 1,000 hotels already relaunched worldwide, the completion of the relaunch of the global estate is expected to be completed in 2010.
About Holiday Inn Express
Holiday Inn Express hotels are modern hotels for value-oriented travelers. Fresh, clean and uncomplicated, Holiday Inn Express hotels offer competitive rates for both business and leisure travelers. Guests Stay Smart at Holiday Inn Express hotels where they enjoy a free hot Express Start Breakfast Bar, free high-speed internet access and free local phone calls (US and Canada only). There are currently more than 1,900 Holiday Inn Express hotel locations around the globe. For more information about Holiday Inn Express hotels or to book reservations, call 1-800-HOLIDAY or visit http://www.hiexpress.com.
About IHG
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is the world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms. IHG owns, manages, leases or franchises, through various subsidiaries, more than 4,200 hotels and over 620,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories around the world. The Group owns a portfolio of well recognized and respected hotel brands including InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo , Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Club Vacations(TM), Holiday Inn Express , Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites , and also manages the world’s largest hotel loyalty program, Priority Club Rewards with 43 million members worldwide.
IHG has nearly 1,700 hotels in its development pipeline, which will create 140,000 jobs worldwide over the next few years.
InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Group’s holding company and is incorporated in Great Britain and registered in England and Wales.
IHG offers information and online reservations for all its hotel brands at http://www.ihg.com and information for the Priority Club Rewards program at http://www.priorityclub.com. For the latest news from IHG, visit our online Press Office at http://www.ihg.com/media.
Contacts: Sarah-Ann Soffer Andrew Bard
Holiday Inn Weber Shandwick
770-604-2707 212-445-8368
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)@webershandwick.com
Source: Holiday Inn; IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group)
CONTACT: Sarah-Ann Soffer, Holiday Inn, +1-770-604-2707,
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), or Andrew Bard, Weber Shandwick, +1-212-445-8368,
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Web Site: http://www.holidayinn.com/
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