February 26, 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 New Orleans-Airport has undergone a $28 million renovation and conversion from a former Holiday Inn Select.
“We’re pleased to bring a Crowne Plaza hotel to the New Orleans airport market,” said Gina LaBarre, vice president, Brand Management, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, the Americas. “This hotel has undergone a tremendous renovation after receiving extensive hurricane damage, and the owners have delivered a fantastic property that we’re proud now carries the Crowne Plaza name.”
Situated just one mile from the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, the Crowne Plaza New Orleans-Airport is ideally located off Interstates 10 and 310 and the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. Leisure travelers can enjoy easy access to popular area attractions, including the French Quarter, the Louisiana Superdome and Audubon Zoo. Several businesses are nearby, including Valero Refinery, Marathon, Shell-Norco, Monsanto, Entergy, Siemens and Xerox. Both the Pontchartrain and Morial Convention Centers are just a short drive from the hotel.
After Hurricane Katrina nearly destroyed the property, the owners, 2929 Williams Blvd., LLC, invested in a complete renovation, debuting a new contemporary upscale design and incorporating the Crowne Plaza brand standards.
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, 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 hotel has ten meeting rooms with 12,000 square feet of flexible upscale meeting space for business functions or special events.
The five-story 292-room Crowne Plaza New Orleans-Airport offers a variety of amenities, including an outdoor swimming pool, fitness center, business center, complimentary airport shuttle service and 42-inch flat-panel televisions in all guestrooms. Three junior suites are available with wet bar, refrigerator, microwave and two flat-panel televisions. The Landing is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, serving local Southern cuisine.
“We invested $28 million in renovations, and we’re pleased with the end result,” said Joseph Jaeger, majority owner, 2929 Williams Blvd., LLC. “This hotel was completely decimated after Hurricane Katrina, and we’re proud to contribute to the growth of our community, both by opening a beautiful new hotel and contributing more than 100 jobs to the local economy.”
The Crowne Plaza is located at 2829 Williams Blvd., Kenner, La., 70062.
The Crowne Plaza New Orleans-Airport is owned by 2929 Williams Blvd., LLC, and managed by Interstate Hotels & Resorts, 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 42 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 4,150 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:
Monica Smith, Crowne Plaza, monica.smith (at) ihg (dot) com, 770.604.5562
Caroline Sanfilippo, Crowne Plaza, caroline.sanfilippo (at) ihg (dot) com, 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 owns, manages, leases or franchises, through various subsidiaries, more than 4,150 hotels and almost 620,000 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 42 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
