23 November 2010

Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West Now Open to Serve Business and Leisure Travelers

Conference Hotel Just 15 Minutes From Downtown offers 40 Meeting Rooms in 38,000 Square Feet of Space                                    

ATLANTA - IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON: IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)], the world's largest hotel group by number of rooms, today announced the opening of the Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West, which features an award-winning conference center at a convenient location just 15 minutes from downtown Minneapolis and 20 minutes from the Mall of the Americas.  The property is a conversion from a Radisson Hotel that includes $3.5 million renovations throughout the 243-room property.

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 accommodations 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.

Truly "The Place to Meet" in the Twin Cities area, the Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West is located at 3131 Campus Drive in Plymouth, at the intersection of Interstate 494 and Minnesota State Highway 55. The six-story hotel sits on 25 acres of natural woods that provide a resort environment, and is close to offices of several major international corporations, including General Mills, Cargill, Honeywell and Verizon. Also nearby are offices of major insurance providers such as United Healthcare, Allianz Life, Prudential and Hartford Life.

In addition, the Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West is near Rush Creek Golf Club and Baker National Golf Club and is located in the Three Rivers Park District. It is also near the Ridgedale Mall, the Village Shops of Wayzata and the Shoppes at Arbor Lake.

"The hotel's location close to downtown and business centers makes it a leading attraction for meeting planners," said Gina LaBarre, vice president, Brand Delivery, the Americas, IHG.  "With the conversion of this hotel to a Crowne Plaza, we can now offer our comprehensive meetings program, which meeting planners won't find at any other hotel in the western Minneapolis market." 

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 Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West features 40 flexible meeting rooms in 38,000 square feet of space and can accommodate meetings of up to 300 people. The hotel also features a 24-hour business center and complimentary wireless Internet service throughout the facility.

"We are excited to be opening as a Crowne Plaza at a location that is ideal for both business and leisure guests," said General Manager Michael Serr. "It is the perfect facility for meetings and business travelers and it offers our guests the opportunity to experience Crowne Plaza's upscale experience."

Currently in the midst of a $3.5 million two-year renovation, the hotel features a broad range of amenities such as an indoor swimming pool, a fitness center that includes weights and aerobic equipment, spa facilities with a sauna, whirlpool and massage treatments, racquet ball and basketball courts and a game room.  The hotel also offers concierge services, a complimentary area shuttle service and free parking. All guest rooms feature 42-inch LCD and plasma televisions and refrigerators.

As part of the renovation, the hotel now has a new courtyard entrance and recently completed Life Safety improvements and upgrades in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.  Within the next two years all of the hotel's guest rooms - including five-two room suites and one 1,029-square-foot presidential suite - will undergo renovations. The hotel's Europa Dining Room, known for its Sunday Brunch, will also be renovated as will the Scandinavian Ballroom and the adjoining Plymouth Creek Athletic Club. The Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West also includes the Creekside Café & Lounge, which offers casual dining for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Room service is also available.

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 Regency Midwest Ventures and will be managed by Regency Hotels Management Inc. 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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