26 January 2010
Holiday Inn Wall Street to Open in the Heart of New York City's Financial District
Worldwide brand relaunch of Holiday Inn continues momentum in 2010
ATLANTA - IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)], the world's largest hotel group by number of rooms, announced today that the Holiday Inn Wall Street will open in April as the only full-service IHG property in the center of the Financial District in New York City. This 20-story conversion property was newly built in 2009 and is located at 51 Nassau Street.
The property will showcase 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 program. The Holiday Inn brand relaunch is the largest in the history of the hospitality industry, with more than 3,300 hotels around the world being updated - improving quality and driving consistency at Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express hotels around the world. The global estate is expected to be relaunched by the end of 2010, and more than 1,700 hotels have already been relaunched to date.
The Holiday Inn Wall Street is in a prime location for both business and leisure travelers alike. Located directly across the street from the Federal Reserve Bank and just a block north of the New York Stock Exchange, business travelers will be centrally located in the business capital of the world and only minutes from all of the major financial institutions on Wall Street. Leisure travelers will also be conveniently located near popular attractions such as South Street Seaport, Battery Park and the ferry to the Statue of Liberty. For those wanting to explore more of the city, subway access is just one block from the hotel.
"Developing strong relationships with companies like McSam Hotel Group and Hersha Hospitality Management, gives IHG the opportunity to grow our portfolio in the right markets for our guests and their travel needs," said Jim Anhut, chief development officer, the Americas, IHG. "Despite the current economic market, we've opened four IHG properties in New York City in the past year, and this Holiday Inn Wall Street is additional proof of the strength of our brands and the commitment of our owners and franchisees."
The Holiday Inn Wall Street is owned by McSam Hotel Group and managed by Hersha Hospitality Management, LP, under a license agreement with a company in the InterContinental Hotels Group. This is the 18th IHG property being managed by Hersha Hospitality Management in the United States.
"We are delighted to work with IHG around this exciting launch of the new Holiday Inn Wall Street, which will quickly become an urban jewel at the heart of Lower Manhattan," said Naveen P. Kakarla, Executive Vice President of Hersha Hospitality Management. "This assignment also marks a continuation of Hersha's fast growing third party management platform and is our twelfth hotel under management in New York City."
The 113 guestrooms each feature a 32 inch flat-panel TV, a Herman Miller ergonomic desk chair, granite countertops, Speakman showerheads, cordless speaker phone and free high-speed wired and wireless internet access. Additional amenities include a 24-hour fitness center and a full service restaurant providing the Holiday Inn Best-4-Breakfastâ menu, featuring signature items such as Cinnamon Supreme French ToastTM and Skillet InspirationsTM. Room Service Right...On TimeTM, also a standard at all Holiday Inn hotels, ensures that guests' room service orders are accurate and delivered on time, every time.
Elements of the Holiday Inn brand relaunch 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.
Refreshed Guest Room
New bedding that redefines the look and feel of each guest room with fresh, white triple- sheeting and pillows that come in two comfort levels: "soft" and "firm." An enhanced bathroom that features an improved showerhead offering superior pressure, as well as a signature shower curtain with curved rod and new amenities to deliver a consistent bath experience that feels fresh and contemporary.
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.
Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts participates in IHG's guest loyalty program, Priority Club® Rewards. The industry's first and largest guest loyalty program has 47 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.
About Hersha Hospitality Management
Hersha Hospitality Management currently operates approximately 70 hotels in the nation's leading markets, including twelve hotels in New York City. The company provides turnkey hotel management and asset management for properties with leading brand affiliations, including Starwood, Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, and InterContinental Hotel Group, and a newly launched "Independent Collection"
(http://www.independentcollection.com/). Including hotels under construction, HHM operates hotels under 20 brands. The company's clients include publicly traded companies, joint ventures, institutional real estate owners and private investors. Additional information about HHM may be found at http://www.hershahotels.com/.
About McSam Hotel Group
McSam Hotel Group is one of New York City's preeminent lodging developers. Within the last four years McSam Hotel Group has opened the following IHG lodging facilities: Holiday Inn Express West 45th Street, Holiday Inn West 26th Street, Holiday Inn Express West 29th Street, Holiday Inn Express West 39th Street and New York City's first Candlewood Suites on West 39th Street.
McSam Hotel Group also develops other franchised lodging facilities with Starwood, Marriott Hilton and Hyatt as well as independent hotels. McSam Hotel Group currently has in construction in NYC over 13 properties. McSam Hotel Group also received IHG's prestigious "Developer of the Year" award in 2006.
About Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts
With nearly 1,400 hotels worldwide, Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts is the most widely recognized lodging brand in the world. In fact, Holiday Inn was one of the first international hotel brands to establish a presence in China in 1984. Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts provides the services that business travelers need, while also offering a comfortable atmosphere where all people can relax and enjoy amenities such as restaurants and room service, swimming pools, fitness centers and comfortable lounges. The casual atmosphere and amenities such as meeting and on-site business facilities, KidSuites rooms, Kids Eat and Stay Free programs demonstrate the long-standing commitment of Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts to serving travelers and have helped to establish the brand as "America's Favorite Hotel." For more information about Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts, including IHG's new timeshare brand Holiday Inn Club Vacations, or to book reservations, call 1-800-HOLIDAY or visit http://www.holidayinn.com/.
Media Contacts:
Emily Brinkley, Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts, [email protected], +1(770) 604-2037
Naveen P. Kakarla, Hersha Hospitality Management, +1(215) 238-1046
Gary Wisinski, McSam Hotel Group, +1(516) 773-9300
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, nearly 4,400 hotels and over 640,000 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 47 million members worldwide.
IHG has 1,500 hotels in its development pipeline, which will create 140,000 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