11 January 2011
Staybridge Suites Houston Stafford-Sugar Land Opens with New Interior Design Scheme Created By Nation's Top Design Students
First Staybridge Suites hotel to open with the innovative designs created by Savannah College of Art and Design students
ATLANTA - IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON: IHG, NYSE: IHG (ADRs)], the world's largest hotel group by number of rooms, announced today the opening of the new Staybridge Suites Houston Stafford-Sugar Land, the first hotel in the brand's portfolio to open with one of the new innovative interior designs created by Savannah College of Art and Design's (SCAD) interior design students. First announced in 2009, SCAD, one of the top five interior design programs in the nation, partnered with IHG to help completely refresh the Staybridge Suites standardized room décor packages. The Staybridge Suites Houston Stafford-Sugar Land features the Vista scheme, which focuses on fresh color, organic patterns and subtle textures.
"We collaborated with graduate students at SCAD, who are truly the next-generation of business travelers, to create these designs from a fresh perspective," said Robert Radomski, vice president, Global Brand Management, Extended-Stay Brands, IHG. "The flexibility, customization and environmentally-friendly materials in the new suites bring the Staybridge Suites brand into the future, while still maintaining the warm and comfortable residential atmosphere that is an important part of our identity."
The new Staybridge Suites Houston Stafford-Sugar Land, at 11101 Fountain Lake Drive in Stafford, close to the Southwest Freeway - US Highway 59 - and behind the Fountains Shopping Center, is just 15 miles southwest of downtown Houston and less than an hour from Houston's William P. Hobby Airport. The hotel offers a complimentary area shuttle within a five-mile radius, which includes the facilities of several major businesses, such as Chevron, Texas Instruments, Flour Daniel, Baker Hughes and Schlumberger. The hotel also offers travelers easy access to shopping and dining as well as area attractions such as The Sugar Land Science Museum, the Museum of Southern History, the Galveston beaches and NASA's Johnson Space Center.
With four stories and 90 guest rooms, the new Staybridge Suites Houston Stafford-Sugar Land offers three well-designed spacious suite options (deluxe studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom/two-bath).
With the new Vista design, each room includes several features intended to reduce environmental impact.
- Kitchen counter tops and bathroom vanities are made of quartz, an abundant natural mineral that is virtually maintenance-free and requires no chemical sealing.
- Modular carpet tiles are 100 percent recyclable and produce less waste upon installation and replacement.
- Low-VOC paint throughout the suites helps eliminate toxic airborne chemicals.
- Tile selections incorporate pre- and/or post-consumer recycled material.
- Many fabrics will be dyed and printed in a revolutionary process that does not require water, meaning left-over chemicals won't be flushed out into the environment.
The new designs also take into account the unique needs of the extended-stay traveler, including flexibility and storage. Ottoman cubes provide extra seating and storage space, with upholstered tops that can be flipped over to support a laptop or food and drinks. A desk hutch has been added to the existing work surface, providing guests with the ability to store items and customize their workspace, and a built-in closet unit provides customizable shelving for clothing and luggage. Additional flexibility has been incorporated into the studio suites, where the extended nightstand functions as an added work surface and vanity area, and a bench stored underneath can serve as seating or double as a dressing bench.
Consistent with the Staybridge Suites brand, the new hotel offers exceptional guest amenities including a deluxe complimentary daily breakfast buffet featuring Wolfgang Puck coffee; complimentary guest laundry and workout facilities; a complimentary 24-hour business services center; a guest library with books and games; and BridgeMart®, the hotel's 24-hour convenience store stocked with snacks, sundries, beverages and easy-to-prepare meals. The hotel also includes a fully-equipped fitness center, outdoor pool and home theater and free wireless and wired Internet service.
"We're so excited to be the first Staybridge Suites hotel to open with the Vista Scheme," said Nazar Momin, principal of Clifton Hospitality LP. "The design is contemporary and perfect for our extended-stay guests. We've already received several compliments about the new designs, and we expect this to continue as we welcome more guests to our hotel."
Staybridge Suites Houston Stafford-Sugar Land is owned by Clifton Hospitality LP and operated by Alpha Hotel Management LLC under a license agreement with a company in the InterContinental Hotels Group.
Staybridge Suites participates in IHG's guest loyalty program, Priority Club® Rewards, the industry's first and largest guest loyalty program with 52 million members. Priority Club Rewards membership is free and guests can enroll by logging on at priority club.com, by calling 1.888.211.9874 or by inquiring at the front desk of this hotel or any one of IHG's nearly 4,400 hotels worldwide.
About Staybridge Suites Hotels
Staybridge Suites® is an innovative all-suite hotel brand designed to meet the needs of extended-stay guests. It is ideal for travelers seeking a residential-style hotel that is perfect for business, relocation and vacations. Staybridge Suites was ranked the highest in guest satisfaction among extended-stay hotel chains, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index StudySM.
Amenities include: three suite types (deluxe studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom/2 bath) with fully equipped kitchens, highly functional work areas, two-line speaker phone with voicemail and direct dial access and free high-speed Internet access. Staybridge Suites offers free "Wireless Anywhere," complimentary daily deluxe breakfast buffet and evening Sundowner receptions three days a week, and 24-hour business services featuring complimentary PC work stations and free Internet access.
Staybridge Suites entered the extended-stay hotel segment in December 1998 when its flagship location in Alpharetta, Georgia, opened. Since that opening, the Staybridge Suites brand continues to grow rapidly with more than 170 hotels open across the Americas, Europe and the Middle East. There are nearly 140 Staybridge Suites in the pipeline, including seven outside of the Americas.
Market Metrix Hospitality Index (MMHI) named Staybridge Suites best in customer satisfaction within the upscale hotel segment several times over the past few years. Staybridge Suites has continually surpassed more than 20 other hotel brands in this category.
http://www.staybridge.com/
Media Contacts:
Sherry Telford, Staybridge Suites, [email protected], +1(770) 604-2613
Caroline Sanfilippo, Staybridge Suites, [email protected], +1(770) 604-2495
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®. We also manage 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. For our latest news visit www.ihg.com/media, YouTube www.youtube.com/ihgplc or Twitter www.twitter.com/ihgplc.