21st Nov 2006 21:34
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) (LSE:IHG) (NYSE:IHG) (ADRs),the world's largest hotel group by number of rooms, today announcedthe opening of the Crowne Plaza Maruma Maracaibo Casino and ConventionCenter located in Maracaibo, Venezuela. Maracaibo is the secondlargest city in Venezuela with a population of 2.5 million people andis the heart of the oil and petroleum industry. £ The 380-room hotel, formerly known as the Hotel MarumaInternacional, will be managed by Hotel Maruma C.A. It is the firstCrowne Plaza in Venezuela and another exciting addition to the alreadywidespread IHG portfolio in Latin America. The property sits on tenacres of gardens, amidst the surrounding residential and commercialareas. It is ideally located near the main business and shoppingdistricts and is the closest hotel in the city to La ChinitaInternational Airport. £ The Crowne Plaza Maruma Maracaibo is also adjacent to the largestconvention center in Venezuela called the Palacio de Eventos (Palaceof Events). The six-story center offers a range of multi-purpose roomsfor every type of event, such as corporate and social functions.Additionally, there are 15 multi-purpose rooms with a capacity of6,500 people, and amenities including audiovisual rental, beautysalon, taxi services, catering and an on-site florist. £ "IHG has had a presence in Venezuela for over 50 years, so withthe expansion of our IHG brands in Maracaibo, we are reinforcing ourpresence in the region and that is truly exciting for us," says AlvaroDiago, Area President, InterContinental Hotels Group, Latin America."It is important to IHG to be expanding the Crowne Plaza in keyregions, and Venezuela is a country that has a lot potential forgrowth in the hospitality industry," adds Alvaro Diago. £ This hotel will also be consistent with the Crowne Plaza brandamenities such as "The Place to Meet" program, which offerscomprehensive meeting packages to ensure a seamless planning process;hence, an exceptional meeting experience. The program consists ofthree key components: a Two-Hour Response Guarantee, Crowne MeetingsDirector and a Meetings Daily Debrief. With meeting rooms that canaccommodate up to 800 people in addition to the Palacio de EventosConvention Center, the hotel provides the perfect venue for businessmeetings and social functions. £ Guestroom amenities include: high-speed Internet access, dual-linedata port phones with voicemail, coffee maker, hair dryer, mini bar,cable TV, refrigerator, iron and ironing board. In addition, the hotelwill feature three restaurants, a lobby bar and pool bar and 24-hourroom service. The Crowne Plaza Maruma Maracaibo will also featureCrowne Club floors, an outdoor swimming pool, fitness center, a saunaand a Casino. £ "We are proud to be a Crowne Plaza Hotel, as the brand issynonymous with luxury, high quality and excellence in service, aswell as it is known for its great programs and high standards," saysMr. Giuseppe De Pinto, President, Hotel Maruma, C.A. £ The hotel features the Crowne Plaza Sleep Advantage whichencompasses the entire sleep experience, from training staff on how tocreate and maintain a restful environment to providing innovativeproducts and services. Program components include new bedding,guaranteed wake-up calls, designated quiet zones, night lights, drapeclips, sleep CDs, sleep tips and amenities such as eye masks, earplugs and lavender spray. £ "We are thrilled about this new addition to our portfolio--thisproperty is amazing and it is a perfect fit for a Crowne Plaza brandhotel, which is renowned across the globe as the ideal place formeetings, conferences and conventions," concludes Alvaro Diago. £ The Crowne Plaza Maruma Maracaibo Casino & Convention Center willparticipate in Priority Club Rewards, which has more than 30 millionmembers, and is the first, largest and fastest-growing guest loyaltyprogram in the hotel industry. Winner of the 18th Annual FreddieAwards hotel loyalty "Program of the Year" and named "Best HotelRewards Program in the World" by Global Traveler magazine, PriorityClub Rewards offers more sought-after benefits and the greatest easeof use of any hotel loyalty program. Enrollment in Priority ClubRewards is free. Guests can enroll by logging on at priorityclub.com,by calling 1-888-211-9874 or by inquiring at the front desk of any ofIHG's 3,650 hotels worldwide. £ As part of the InterContinental Hotels Group global portfolio,Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts has 250 hotels in over 40 countries, andare located in major urban centers, gateway cities and resortdestinations. For reservations at Crowne Plaza properties, visitwww.crowneplaza.com. £ Note to Editors: £ InterContinental Hotels Group PLC of the United Kingdom (LSE:IHG)(NYSE:IHG) (ADRs) is the world's largest hotel group by number ofrooms. InterContinental Hotels Group owns, manages, leases orfranchises, through various subsidiaries, over 3,650 hotels and540,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories around theworld. The Group owns a portfolio of well recognized and respectedhotel brands including InterContinental(R) Hotels & Resorts, CrownePlaza(R) Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn(R) Hotels and Resorts, HolidayInn Express(R), Staybridge Suites(R), Candlewood Suites(R) and HotelIndigo(R), and also manages the world's largest hotel loyalty program,Priority Club(R) Rewards with over 28 million members worldwide. £ InterContinental Hotels Group offers information and onlinereservations for all its hotel brands at www.ichotelsgroup.com andinformation for the Priority Club Rewards program atwww.priorityclub.com. £ For the latest news from InterContinental Hotels Group, visit ouronline Press Office at www.ihgplc.com/media. Copyright Business Wire 2006Related Shares:
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