21 April 2009
New Holiday Inn Express in Montreal Opens near Airport
Ribbon cutting ceremony scheduled for April 21, 2009 at 5 p.m.
The Holiday Inn Express and Suites Montreal Airport will be holding a ribbon cutting ceremony on April 21, 2009, at 5 p.m. to celebrate its grand opening. The hotel officially began welcoming guests on Nov. 7, 2008. The new-build property showcases the brand's new sign, which is the seal of approval that this hotel exemplifies the standards of the $1 billion Holiday Inn brand relaunch programme.
First announced in 2007, the relaunch programme was established to create a more contemporary brand image as part of the drive to increase quality and consistency across the global portfolio. The programme focuses on arrival and welcome services, guestroom, and guest bath comfort. The global estate of more than 3,200 Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express properties is expected to be relaunched by the end of 2010.
Elements of the relaunch for Holiday Inn Express include:
Redesigned Brand Signage
An evolution of the iconic script logo, energizing the signature color green and eliminating the current shield shape for a more refreshed and contemporary look.
Warm Welcome
A new signature arrival - including new lighting, landscaping and design features - that creates an energized and branded sense of welcome that is universally recognizable. Customized music and scent selections also engage guests in a complete sensory experience, and a decluttered front desk to promote a more efficient and interactive check-in process.
New Service Promise
A best-in-class service culture - "Stay Real" - to further ensure the team develops the behaviors and skills to best serve guests so they feel like individuals and not numbers. Genuine people delivering real service. Leading the charge will be a newly created position at each hotel - the Guest Experience Champion.
The 154-room Holiday Inn Express and Suites Montreal Airport is ideally located within minutes of the Trudeau International Airport, restaurants and shopping. Guests will be within a short driving distance of Montreal's downtown core, McGill University and businesses such as Rolls Royce, CAE and Air Canada. Nearby tourist attractions include Musee de la Ville de Lachine and Dorval Shopping Centre, making the hotel a favourable option for both business and leisure travellers alike.
Guests at the Holiday Inn Express will experience a comfortable and smart environment with innovative preferred guest upgrades to ensure a productive stay while travelling for business or leisure. The hotel's newly enhanced complimentary Express Start® breakfast bar will feature a full selection of breakfast items including a rotation of egg and meat selections, biscuits, yogurts, fruit and the brand's proprietary cinnamon roll and Smart Roast® coffee. The SimplySmartTM shower incorporates a proprietary Stay SmartTM Kohler showerhead, signature shower curtain with curved rod, upgraded 100 percent cotton terry towels and a custom line of cinnamon-scented bath products. Guests will also enjoy the SimplySmartTM bedding collection where they will find new crisp fresh bedding which features an attractive decorative throw, a medium-weight duvet blanket and soft 200 thread-count sheets.
"Holiday Inn Express hotels are designed to be the smart choice for value-conscious business and leisure travellers," said John Merkin, senior vice president, Brand Management, Holiday Inn Brands, The Americas. "With more than 1,800 properties worldwide and more than 700 properties in the pipeline, the Holiday Inn Express portfolio continues to expand in key markets like Montreal, providing our guests with an enhanced stay experience at a great value. We welcome this hotel into the Holiday Inn family with the brand new sign and everything it represents."
Standard Holiday Inn Express hotel guest rooms feature comfortable queen or king-sized beds, a sitting area with a lounge chair and an in-room coffee machine featuring complimentary Smart Roast 100% Arabica coffee. Business travellers will find large desks, ergonomic chairs, free high-speed internet access, free local and toll free phone calls and phones with private voicemail. The new Montreal property offers a wide variety of additional amenities including 32" LCD TVs in all guestrooms, a 24-hour business centre, an indoor heated pool, Finnish sauna and a state-of-the-art fitness centre with an LCD flat panel TV. With five meeting rooms totalling more than 4,000 square feet, the hotel is ideal for those looking to accommodate intimate meetings or larger groups. The hotel also offers 79 King Business Class Suites and ten Deluxe Jacuzzi Suites, providing a relaxing and pampering oasis with a king bed, living room, fireplace, Jacuzzi and work desk with padded chair. The hotel also has Park & Go packages available.
"Holiday Inn Express hotels are fresh, modern and convenient for travellers," said Franco San Gregorio, general manager, Holiday Inn Express and Suites Montreal Airport. "We invested $20 million to build this property with the goal of providing a pleasant atmosphere with all the latest in comfort and by offering the tools our guests need to ensure a productive stay. We're very excited to host a grand opening ceremony for the community and our guests."
Holiday Inn Express hotels participate in IHG's guest loyalty program, Priority Club® Rewards. The industry's first and largest guest loyalty program has 42 million members. Priority Club Rewards membership is free and guests can enroll by logging on www.priorityclub.com, calling 1-888-211-9874 or by inquiring at the front desk of this hotel or any of IHG's more than 4,150 hotels worldwide.
The Holiday Inn Express and Suites Montreal Airport is owned and operated by Merchants Villa Inc., an affiliate of ChemTECH CONSTRUCTION Inc; a property development and management firm with more than 35 years experience developing in the greater Montreal area, under a license agreement with a company in the InterContinental Hotels Group. The hotel is located at 10888 Cote de Liesse, Montreal, Quebec, H8T 1A6. Telephone: 514.422.8080.
About Holiday Inn Express
Holiday Inn Express hotels are modern hotels for value-oriented travellers. Fresh, clean and uncomplicated, Holiday Inn Express hotels offer competitive rates for both business and leisure travellers. 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 1,800 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/.
Media Contacts:
Dagmara Grabowski, Weber Shandwick Worldwide, 416.642.7904, [email protected]
Franco San Gregorio, Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites, 514.422.8080, [email protected]
Notes to Editors:
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 4,150 hotels and almost 620,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories around the world. The Group owns a portfolio of well recognised and respected hotel brands including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo®, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites® and Candlewood Suites®, and also manages the world’s largest hotel loyalty programme, Priority Club® Rewards with 42 million members worldwide.
IHG has more than 1,700 hotels in its development pipeline, which will create 200,000 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 www.ihg.com and information for the Priority Club Rewards programme at www.priorityclub.com. For the latest news from IHG, visit our online Press Office at www.ihg.com/media