22 November 2010

Crowne Plaza Fort Worth South Opens After Conversion and Renovations

First Fort Worth-area Crowne Plaza provides easy access to downtown, major businesses and sports venues

ATLANTA - IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON: IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)], the world's largest hotel group by number of rooms, today announces the Dec. 1 opening of the Crowne Plaza Fort Worth South, following a conversion from a Radisson Hotel that included an initial  $1 million renovation with upgrades throughout the six-story conference hotel. 

Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts is a dynamic hotel brand currently located in more than 50 countries around the world. Truly international, Crowne Plaza offers premium accommodation, designed for the discerning business and leisure traveler who appreciates simplified elegance combined with practicality of the latest features, as well as value for money.

The only Crowne Plaza in the Fort Worth area, the hotel is located at the intersection of Interstate 35W and Altamesa East Boulevard and is 30 minutes from the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. It is also conveniently located within six miles of downtown Fort Worth and from Texas Christian University. Nearby businesses include Alcon Laboratories one block away, the Miller/Coors brewery just three blocks away, and a Halliburton training facility just a mile away.

In addition, the Crowne Plaza Fort Worth South - the only full-service high-rise hotel South and West of Fort Worth - is just 10 miles from a Lockheed Martin Corporation facility, 10 miles from the Fort Worth Naval Air Station and just three miles from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

"With the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial hosted in Fort Worth each year, we're absolutely thrilled to have a Crowne Plaza hotel in the area," said Gina LaBarre, vice president, Brand Delivery, the Americas, IHG.  "Its close proximity to downtown, a major university and military and business facilities makes it a leading attraction for meeting planners throughout the year."

Crowne Plaza's comprehensive meetings program ensures a seamless planning process and exceptional meeting experience consisting of three key components: a Two-Hour Response Guarantee, a Crowne Meetings Director and a Daily Meetings Debrief. 

The hotel features more than 14,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, which can accommodate more than 1,000 guests. The space can be configured into as many as 14 conference rooms to accommodate smaller meetings. Business travelers can take advantage of complimentary wireless Internet service throughout the hotel as well as a business center accessible 24 hours a day.

The Crowne Plaza Fort Worth South is an ideal location for leisure travelers attending one of the area's many sporting events. The hotel is 15 miles from Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, home to the American League Champion Texas Rangers and 15 miles from Cowboy Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys. The Amon G. Carter Stadium at Texas Christian University is just six miles away and Texas Motor Speedway, which features NASCAR events, is less than 20 miles away.

"Crowne Plaza is a dynamic brand and we are excited to be opening at a location that is ideal for both business and leisure guests," said General Manager Dave Reasoner. "It is the perfect facility for meetings and business travelers and it offers our guests the upscale experience Crowne Plaza is known for."

The Crowne Plaza Fort Worth South has 247 guest rooms including six suites with king bedrooms, separate parlor areas and Jacuzzi bathtubs. Guests can take advantage of a variety of amenities including a heated indoor pool, Jacuzzi and fitness center. They can also enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner at the Aryana Restaurant or head to The Lobby Bar for weekday drink specials, food or snacks. Room service is also available. Other amenities include onsite complimentary parking, daily newspapers, front-desk safety deposit boxes and valet laundry services.

Consistent with the Crowne Plaza brand, the hotel features the Crowne Plaza Sleep Advantage®, available at all Crowne Plaza hotels in the Americas.  Sleep Advantage encompasses the entire sleep experience, from training staff on how to create and maintain a restful environment to providing innovative products and services.   Program components include signature bedding, guaranteed wake-up calls, designated quiet zones, nightlights, drape clips and amenities such as eye masks, earplugs and lavender spray.

The property is owned by Chhatrala Hotel Group, which also owns three additional IHG properties, including the Crowne Plaza Grand Rapids, Mich., Holiday Inn Oceanside, Calif. and Holiday Inn Express Lake Elsinore, Calif. The hotel will be managed by Shiva Management, under a license agreement with a company in the InterContinental Hotels Group.

Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts participates in IHG's guest loyalty program, Priority Club® Rewards, the industry's first and largest guest loyalty program has 52 million members.  Priority Club Rewards membership is free and guests can enroll by logging on at priorityclub.com, by calling 1-888-211-9874 or by inquiring at the front desk of this hotel or any of IHG's nearly 4,400 hotels worldwide.

Crowne Plaza was recently recognized by Lodging Hospitality magazine as one of the industry's top-growing brands.  Additionally, Business Travel News magazine announced Crowne Plaza as the No. 1 upscale brand as voted by travel buyers in its annual U.S. Hotel Chain Survey (up from 9th in 2009).  As part of the IHG global portfolio, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts has more than 300 hotels in nearly 60 countries, located in major urban centers, gateway cities and resort destinations. For reservations at Crowne Plaza properties, visit http://www.crowneplaza.com/ or call 1-800-2CROWNE.

Media Contacts:
Sherry Telford, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, [email protected], +1(770) 604-2613
Caroline Counihan, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, [email protected], +1(770) 604-2090

Notes to Editors:

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is the world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms. IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns, through various subsidiaries, over 4,500 hotels and more than 650,000 guest rooms in 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 Express®, Staybridge Suites® and Candlewood Suites® and also manages the world’s largest hotel loyalty program, Priority Club® Rewards with 52 million members worldwide.

IHG has over 1,200 hotels in its development pipeline, which we expect to create 160,000 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 program at www.priorityclub.com. For the latest news from IHG, visit our online Press Office at www.ihg.com/media

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