50,000 square feet of meeting space is third largest in Crowne Plaza global portfolio
ATLANTA – January 21, 2009 – (RealEstateRama) — IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON: IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)], the world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms, today announced that the Crowne Plaza Louisville Airport Kentucky Expo Center is expected to open within a month, after a renovation and conversion from the Executive West Hotel.
The renovation included upgrades to all 588 guestrooms, the addition of Presidential and Executive Suites and a total re-design of public space to include a new bar and restaurant with outdoor terrace seating, a new ballroom, dedicated exhibit space, an executive boardroom and a new business center. Other improvements include major façade and exterior work, significant mechanical and HVAC upgrades, a new entrance canopy and a complete lobby renovation.
The eight-story hotel is located less than a mile from the entrance to the Louisville International Airport and a short drive to downtown Louisville and the one-million-square-foot Kentucky Expo Center. The property also offers convenient access to Interstate 264 and Interstate 65 and is near several major employers in the Louisville area, including UPS, Yum! Brands and Humana Healthcare.
“The hotel’s location near the airport and the expo center makes it a major attraction for meeting planners,” said Gina LaBarre, vice president, Brand Management, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, the Americas. “With the conversion of this hotel to a Crowne Plaza, we can now offer them our comprehensive meetings program, which they won’t find at any other hotel in the Louisville market.”
The Crowne Plaza Louisville Airport Kentucky Expo Center offers 588 guest rooms and a variety of amenities, including a fitness center, indoor and outdoor pool, gift shop, airport and local business shuttle and multiple dining outlets.
The privately-held Al J. Schneider Company, owner of the Crowne Plaza and the independent Galt House Hotel & Suites in downtown Louisville, engaged Senate Hospitality Group to manage the conversion. Senate ensured adherence to the Crowne Plaza Property Improvement Plan (PIP) and provided development services to manage the renovation design and budget, FF&E procurement and support of information systems planning. Senate’s strong track record with meetings hotel development influenced the hotel’s re-positioning and renovation design.
Senate Hospitality Group has extensive background in hospitality and entertainment development and management. Senate’s principals have led the creation, development and management of more than 75 hotels and resorts including other IHG hotels.
Through Senate’s repositioning efforts, the hotel now features the Crowne Plaza Sleep Advantage, which is 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, night lights, drape clips, sleep CDs, sleep tips and amenities such as eye masks, ear plugs and lavender spray.
Also consistent with the Crowne Plaza brand, the hotel offers a comprehensive meetings program to ensure a seamless planning process and exceptional meeting experience consisting of three key components: a Two-Hour Response Guarantee, Crowne Meetings Director and a Daily Meetings Debrief. The Crowne Plaza Louisville Airport Kentucky Expo Center features 50,000 square feet of exceptional meeting and banquet space for business functions or special events, the third largest amount of meeting space at any Crowne Plaza in the world.
The property is located at 830 Phillips Road, Louisville, Ky., and is owned and managed by Al J. Schneider Company Hotel Division, 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 40 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 more than 4,100 hotels worldwide.
Crowne Plaza was recently recognized by Lodging Hospitality magazine as one of the industry’s top growing brands. As part of the IHG global portfolio, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts has more than 300 hotels in nearly 60 countries, and are 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:
Caroline Sanfilippo, caroline.sanfilippo (at) ihg (dot) com, 770.604.2495
Monica Smith, monica.smith (at) ihg (dot) com, 770.604.5562
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, over 4,100 hotels and more than 600,000 guest rooms in nearly 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 40 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 program at www.priorityclub.com. For the latest news from IHG, visit our online Press Office at www.ihg.com/media
