NH Hoteles Builds Up Its Presence In Mexico

• The chain has signed two new projects, for a hotel in Ecatepec and another in the Old City Centre of Mexico City
• As well as this, the NH Krystal Puerto Vallarta will open a new section in November, with 128 rooms and 8 private villa suites nearer the sea
• These additions mean that the chain will have 17 hotels in Mexico

NH Hoteles is building a stronger presence in Mexico by signing for a new Hotel in Ecatepec, another project in the Old City Centre of Mexico City and the expansion of the facilities at NH Krystal Puerto Vallarta. The chain is banking on the Mexican market being one of the richest and profitable in Latin America. After signing the Ecatapec and Mexico City projects, NH Hoteles will have 17 hotels in Mexico.

NH Hotels has signed to bring into operation a new hotel in the Old City Centre of Mexico City. It will be a 4-star hotel, with 106 rooms and 250 m2 of rooms for professional or social events, a restaurant, a gymnasium, a bar-cafeteria and all the services that are standard features of NH Hoteles, such as Broadband Internet, TV, cable TV and air conditioning. This hotel is going to be newly built in an old building right inside the Old City Centre, two blocks away from the famous "Zócalo" square where the Presidential Palace, the Cathedral and the archeological ruins of the Great Temple are located.

NH Hoteles will operate this hotel under a lease. The total investment for building the hotel will be € 4.3 million (€ 5 million US $), a million of which shall be contributed by NH Hoteles in furniture and equipment.

The NH Ecatepec, a 4-star hotel, will be located in Ecatepec, a municipality in the State of Mexico, with over 2 million inhabitants, which bounds to the north west on Mexico City.

The hotel, which will have 108 rooms, will be in a very good location, on the Vía Morelos, the main avenue in this town, which is highly developed industrially. The NH Ecatepec will be the first business hotel in the town.

The hotel, which is going to be a new building, will provide facilities with all the comfort that is a standard feature of NH Hoteles: direct phone, satellite TV, satellite dish, broadband internet connection, separate phone line for modem, mini-bar, air-conditioning and gymnasium. The hotel has 330 m2 of space for meeting rooms which can hold up to 300 people, a restaurant, bar-cafeteria and installations adapted for the handicapped.

The hotel, which the chain will operate under a lease, involves an investment totalling € 4.3 million (US $ 5 million). Plans are for it to open in December 2004. The NH Ecatepec will not involve NH Hoteles in any capital expenditure as it shall be delivered with the furniture and equipment included.

Finally, the NH Krystal Puerto Vallarta will open a new section in November, with 128 rooms and 8 private villa suites closer to the sea. These rooms shall be in a 4-storey building, on land measuring 4,950 m.2 and 140 metres of beautiful golden sand beach front. This project will be added to the hotels present total of 405 rooms, including the luxury suites and the section of villas with swimming pool.

Luxury and comfort will be present in this new exclusive area, built in accordance with the new Club NH Concierge concept. This section offers its guests areas that are separate from the rest of the hotel, such as the swimming pool, jacuzzis, solarium, terrace and towel service, designed solely with the guest's privacy and comfort in mind.

The NH Krystal Puerto Vallarta hotel is currently regarded as one of the most important, traditional hotels in the Bay. It has 7 rooms for conventions, conferences and events and large gardens, where the best attention is provided to groups ranging from 10 to 1,500 people. The NH Krystal Puerto Vallarta has 3 swimming pools, 2 tennis courts, and two racket ball courts, a gymnasium and 2 restaurants serving international and Japanese cuisine, the "Las Velas Restaurant" and the "La Noria Cafetería", as well as the "Christine" discotheque, where there is magic every night with its spectacular son et lumière show. Worthy of mention is the fact that the hotel is located on one of the best beaches in the region, where guests can practise their favourite water sports.

The Hotel NH Krystal Puerto Vallarta has opened its recently renovated Restaurant Las Velas, which faces the sea with a spectacular view over Banderas Bay. This restaurant is covered by a impressive 24 m. high palm shelter.

The NH Krystal Puerto Vallarta is operated by NH Hoteles under a management agreement. The investment in these renovations will not involve the chain in any cost. The expenditure shall be made by the owners of the building.

With these additions, NH Hoteles is building up its presence in Mexico, a country where the chain thinks the prospects are good and has taken a position as the benchmark for urban hotels.

ABOUT NH HOTELES

The NH Hotels Group (www.nh-hoteles.com) after the purchase of the Dutch Krasnapolsky hotel chain in July 2000, the Mexican hotel chain Krystal in June 2001 and the German Astron on February 25, 2002, ranks third in the European ranking for business hotels. NH Hotels has 240 hotels and 34,000 rooms in 16 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa.

The acquisition of the German hotel chain Astron has meant NH Hotels' consolidation in Europe, as Astron was the third most important operator in urban hotels in Germany. NH Hotels currently has 27 projects for new hotels under construction, which shall entail 4000 new rooms.

NH hotels stand out in quality both as regards services and facilities, with very carefully thought out decoration, intended to please all tastes, uniform, and making the customer feel comfortable.

NH Hotels establishments offer the most advanced technologies designed to facilitate both the customer's communication and his work and leisure.

The restaurant business is another priority for hotels in the chain, offering customers first-rate cuisine. Furthermore, the prestigious restaurateur Ferrán Adriá, creator of El Bulli restaurant, has entered into an association with NH Hotels, launching new concepts such as "nhube", pioneering spaces in the hotel sector combining food, leisure and rest for the chain's customers, and "Fast Good".

The NH Hotels Group is listed on the Madrid (in the selective Ibex 35 Index), and Amsterdam Stock Exchanges, in Euronext. Furthermore, NH Hotels is a member of Stoxx Europe 600, including the best European companies. Also, NH Hotels is included in the prestigious Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) securities index.