29th Jun 2007 17:39
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) (LSE:IHG) (NYSE:IHG) (ADRs),the world's largest hotel group by number of rooms, today announcedthat it has signed several agreements with developers to build fournew properties by the end of 2008 in Brazil, in the cities of Manaus,Natal, Foz do Iguacu and Aparecida do Norte. These deals confirm IHG'scommitment to further developing its Holiday Inn and Holiday InnExpress brands in Latin America, as well as its plans for expansionthroughout the country of Brazil. £ "Brazil is an extremely important region for IHG since it is thesixth most populated country in the world. Brazil's continuouseconomic growth fuels its massive business and tourism industries,which provides tremendous room for growth for all our brands,including Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express," said Alvaro Diago,area president, Latin America, IHG. £ The 240-room Holiday Inn Manaus will be located in the "Free Zone"District next to the Shopping Studio 5 Festival Mall and the Studio 5Convention Center. The 12-story hotel will feature a business center,several meeting rooms, gymnasium, restaurant, swimming pool and ampleparking. Located in the middle of the Capital of the Amazon, the hotelwill be perfectly suited for both business and leisure travelers.Holiday Inn Manaus will be owned and developed by Ypua EmpreendimentosImobiliarios (a partnership between Construtora Sao Jose and RALCEmpreendimentos) and will be managed by IHG's Americas operationsdivision, The Hotel Management Group, under a management contract.Construtora Sao Jose also owns the Holiday Inn Parque Anhembi in SaoPaulo and the Holiday Inn Salvador Bahia, in northeastern Brazil. £ From a small river fort built in 1669 through the wealthy days ofthe rubber boom, Manaus today is the sight of a modern city and is adestination for the thousands who come to explore the Amazon, therainforest and view the wildlife activity along the rivers. £ Ideally situated in the downtown area of Foz do Iguacu, theHoliday Inn Express Foz do Iguacu will be owned by LN EmpreendimentosImobiliarios under a license agreement with a company in theInterContinental Hotels Group. The four-story hotel will have 126guestrooms and will be located within driving distance to the renownedIguacu National Park, one of the most beautiful ecological reserves inthe world, with 225 thousand acres and recognized by UNESCO as aNatural Heritage of Humanity. LN Empreendimentos Imobiliarios Ltda.also owns three Holiday Inn Express properties in Curitiba, whichinclude the Holiday Inn Express Curitiba Santa Felicidade, the HolidayInn Express Curitiba Batel and the Holiday Inn Express CuritibaAirport, and are currently developing a Holiday Inn Express inAraraquara, Brazil. £ Foz do Iguacu has the world's largest waterfall, and over 200different cataracts pour into the Rio Iguazu. The falls flow directlybetween Argentina and Brazil. £ The Holiday Inn Express Aparecida do Norte-Santuario Nacional willbe located in the city of Aparecida do Norte, in the interior of thestate of Sao Paulo. Upon completion, the 13-story, 126-room hotel willfeature two meeting rooms, a business center and a fitness center. Theproperty will be developed and owned by Hamam Hoteis e Incorporacoes,under a license agreement with a company in the InterContinentalHotels Group. £ The city of Aparecida do Norte is located in the Paraiba RiverValley, about 200 km from Sao Paulo and is a destination for pilgrimstraveling to the Basilica of the National Shrine of Our LadyAparecida, the Patron Saint of Brazil. The shrine is among the largestand tallest churches in the world spanning 567 ft long and 551 ftwide; the dome reaches 229 ft and the steeple rises to 328 ft andholds up to 45,000 people. In May 2007, Pope Benedict XVI visited theregion to canonize the first Brazilian Saint, Blessed Antonio Galvao,an 18th-century Franciscan who founded the Sisters of Our Lady of theConception of Divine Providence. Aparecida do Norte receives over 7million pilgrims each year. £ The Holiday Inn Express Natal in the state of Rio Grande do Norte,Brazil will be located in the Ponta Negra Beach community on AvenidaEngenheiro Roberto Freire and will be owned by PraiamarEmpreendimentos Turisticos Ltda, under a license agreement with acompany in the InterContinental Hotels Group. The 13-floor, 160-roomhotel will feature an outdoor swimming pool, recreation area, fitnesscenter, gift shops and a business center. £ Natal, also known as the City of the Sun, has become one of themost significant tourist destinations for local and internationaltravelers alike, with beaches among the most beautiful in the world. Acity built on sand, Natal also has great sand dunes that are hundredsof feet high and spill down into the seashore. Local sand duneactivities include sand-skiing, rope-sliding, camel rides and buggyrides. Natal is also a city filled with history, and its historicaldistrict has preserved buildings that date from the time of itscolonization. £ "We are proud to continue our expansion in Latin America," saidTom Murray, chief operating officer, The Americas, IHG. "Brazil is aflourishing country with a great tourism market, and we are honored tocontinue our relationship of over 60 years with Brazil. Thisdevelopment will be a major contribution to the hotel industrythroughout Latin America." £ IHG has more than 160 hotels in Mexico, Central and South Americaand the Caribbean and has been serving Latin America for over 60years. IHG is the world's largest hotel group by number of rooms, andthe second largest hotel operator in Latin America. IHG has hotelssituated in nearly every key market in the Latin America territory. Inthe past year, IHG has opened three Holiday Inn Express properties inBrazil and one in Puerto Montt, Chile. IHG also announced plans forthe Holiday Inn Express San Jose - Forum in Costa Rica and the HolidayInn Express Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. £ About Holiday Inn £ With nearly 1,400 hotels worldwide, Holiday Inn Hotels and Resortsis the most widely recognized lodging brand in the world. In fact,Holiday Inn was one of the first international hotel brands toestablish a presence in China in 1984. Holiday Inn Hotels and Resortsprovides the services that business travelers need, while alsooffering a comfortable atmosphere where all people can relax and enjoyamenities such as restaurants and room service, swimming pools,fitness centers and comfortable lounges. The casual atmosphere andamenities such as meeting and on-site business facilities, KidSuitesrooms, Kids Eat and Stay Free programs, and the ability to earnPriority Club Rewards points that can be redeemed for greatmerchandise, airline miles or free room nights, demonstrate thelong-standing commitment of Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts to servingtravelers and have helped to establish the brand as "America'sFavorite Hotel." For more information about Holiday Inn Hotels andResorts or to book reservations, call 1-800-HOLIDAY or visitwww.holidayinn.com. £ About Holiday Inn Express £ Holiday Inn Express is the modern hotel for value-orientedtravelers. Fresh, clean and uncomplicated, Holiday Inn Express hotelsoffer competitive rates for both business and leisure travelers.Holiday Inn Express is the fastest growing hotel brand in theindustry, opening on average two hotels a week. Holiday Inn Expressadds to its achievements a growing list of industry and consumeraccolades. Most recently, Holiday Inn Express was named one ofAmerica's Greatest Brands by the American Brands Council. The brandhas also been named the top hotel choice for entrepreneurs byEntrepreneur Magazine; the Best Budget Hotel Value in EntrepreneurMagazine's 12th Annual Business Travel Awards; the best low-pricedhotel in Entrepreneur Magazine's 10th Annual Travel Awards andrecently won their 6th EFFIE award since entering in 1999. Presentedby the New York American Marketing Association, The EFFIE Awards isone of the most recognized and coveted awards for marketingexcellence. £ Holiday Inn Express hotels offer outstanding value and customerservice in more than 1,700 locations around the world. For moreinformation about Holiday Inn Express or to book reservations, call1-800-HOLIDAY or visit www.hiexpress.com. £ About Priority Club Rewards £ Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express participate in Priority ClubRewards. With more than 33 million members, Priority Club(R) Rewardsis the first, largest and fastest-growing guest loyalty program in thehotel industry. Winner of the 19th Annual Freddie Awards hotel loyalty"Program of the Year" and named "Best Hotel Rewards Program in theWorld" two years running by Global Traveler magazine, Priority ClubRewards offers more sought-after benefits and the greatest ease of useof any hotel loyalty program. £ Enrollment in Priority Club Rewards is free. Guests can enroll bylogging on at priorityclub.com, by calling 1-888-211-9874 or byinquiring at the front desk of any of IHG's 3,700 hotels worldwide. £ About The Hotel Management Group £ IHG's The Hotel Management Group is the fourth largest managementcompany in North America. As of March 31, 2007, IHG's managementportfolio consists of more than 200 hotels and nearly 44,000 roomswith another 17 hotels and over 4,000 rooms in the pipeline. Recently,The Hotel Management Group launched Performance Advantage, itsproprietary hotel management program which allows for adaptation ofits management services and contract terms based on the needs of eachindividual property investor. £ Note to Editors: £ InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (IHG) of the United Kingdom(LSE:IHG) (NYSE:IHG) (ADRs) is the world's largest hotel group bynumber of rooms. IHG owns, manages, leases or franchises, throughvarious subsidiaries, over 3,700 hotels and more than 558,000 guestrooms in nearly 100 countries and territories around the world. IHGowns a portfolio of well recognized and respected hotel brandsincluding InterContinental(R) Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza(R) Hotels& Resorts, Holiday Inn(R) Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express(R),Staybridge Suites(R), Candlewood Suites(R) and Hotel Indigo(R), andalso manages the world's largest hotel loyalty program, PriorityClub(R) Rewards with over 33 million members worldwide. £ The company pioneered the travel industry's first collaborativeresponse to environmental issues as founder of the InternationalHotels and Environment Initiative (IHEI). The IHEI formed thefoundations of the Tourism Partnership launched by the InternationalBusiness Leaders Forum in 2004, of which IHG is still a member today.The environment and local communities remain at the heart of IHG'sglobal corporate responsibility focus. £ IHG offers information and online reservations for all its hotelbrands at www.ihg.com and information for the Priority Club Rewardsprogram at www.priorityclub.com. £ For the latest news from IHG, visit our online Press Office atwww.ihg.com/media. Copyright Business Wire 2007Related Shares:
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