Hospitality Net

ATLANTA ¦ InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), the world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms announced today a new Holiday Inn Express in Brooklyn, N.Y., expected to open this month adding 115 new hotel rooms to the New York metropolitan area. Holiday Inn Express opened its first hotel in Manhattan in the fall of 2005 and another is scheduled to open later this year in West Chelsea at 29th Street between 7th and 8th Ave.

With the addition of the Holiday Inn Express Brooklyn, there will be nearly 30 Holiday Inn Express hotels with more than 2,300 guestrooms in the state of New York. The InterContinental Hotels Group portfolio in New York, represented by six of its brands, includes the upper upscale, upscale, full service, limited service, upscale extended-stay and midscale extended- stay segments with more than 80 hotels and over 15,000 rooms.

“Holiday Inn Express hotels are designed to be the smart choice for value-conscious travelers. The Holiday Inn Express system includes more than 1,600 hotels located primarily in roadside and suburban locations. Frequent business travelers become more accustomed to the value and service provided by our hotels and the demand for branded, mid-tier hotels in urban markets has increased,” said Verchele Wiggins, vice president, Brand Management, Holiday Inn Express. “As a leader in this segment, we are poised to reach metropolitan customers by further developing in areas such as New York City, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.”

Situated one mile from downtown Brooklyn, on Union St. between 3rd and 4th Ave., the new 33,000 sq.-ft. property is just seven miles from New York City area attractions. The train station, located just one mile from the hotel, conveniently connects guests to Central Park, Times Square and Rockefeller Center in just minutes.

“We chose to develop a Holiday Inn Express in Park Slope because of its proximity to downtown Brooklyn,” said Robbie Wilson, city manager, Magna Hospitality Group, LC. “There is also a shortage of hotels in this area and because we have had such great success with Holiday Inn Express hotels, we decided to develop another in Park Slope.”

Guests at the eight-story Holiday Inn Express Brooklyn will experience a comfortable and smart environment with innovative preferred guest upgrades to ensure a productive stay while traveling for business or leisure. The Express Start® breakfast bar, a complimentary café-style breakfast bar features a proprietary cinnamon roll and Smart Roast® coffee as well as other morning favorites. The SimplySmart™ shower incorporates a proprietary Stay Smart™ Kohler showerhead, upgraded 100 percent cotton terry towels and a new line of cinnamon-scented bath products. Guests will also experience the new SimplySmart™ bedding collection with crisp fresh bedding featuring an attractive decorative top sheet, a medium-weight duvet blanket and soft 200 thread-count sheets. Simply Smart bedding is currently being implemented at Holiday Inn Express hotels across the country.

The new property will offer a variety of amenities such as a 24-hour front desk, parking and express checkout. Standard Holiday Inn Express guest rooms feature comfortable queen or king-sized beds, a sitting area with a lounge chair, in room coffee machine featuring complimentary Smart Roast 100% Arabica coffee. Business travelers will find large desks with ergonomic chairs, free high-speed internet access and free local phone and toll free (U.S. and Canada only), two phones with private voicemail and complimentary USA Today newspapers. In addition, the Holiday Inn Express Brooklyn will participate in Priority Club Rewards, the world's first and most global hotel loyalty program spanning more than 3,600 hotels in nearly 100 countries. Guests enroll free online at www.priorityclub.com, by calling 1-888-211-9874 or at the front desk of any Holiday Inn Express hotel.

The Holiday Inn Express Brooklyn, which is owned by McSam Hospitality, LLC and managed by Magna Hospitality Group, LC, under a license agreement with a company in the InterContinental Hotels Group, is located at 625 Union St., Brooklyn, NY, 11215. Telephone: (718) 797-1133; Facsimile: (718) 797-1163.

Holiday Inn Express is the modern hotel for value-oriented travelers. Fresh, clean and uncomplicated, Holiday Inn Express hotels offer competitive rates for both business and leisure travelers. Holiday Inn Express is the fastest growing hotel brand in the industry, opening on average two hotels a week. Holiday Inn Express adds to its achievements a growing list of industry and consumer accolades. Most recently, Holiday Inn Express was named one of America’s Greatest Brands by the American Brands Council. The brand has also been named the top hotel choice for entrepreneurs by Entrepreneur Magazine; the Best Budget Hotel Value in Entrepreneur Magazine’s 12th Annual Business Travel Awards; the best low-priced hotel in Entrepreneur Magazine’s 10th Annual Travel Awards.

Holiday Inn Express hotels offer outstanding value and customer service in more than 1,600 locations around the world. For more information about Holiday Inn Express or to book reservations, call 1-800-HOLIDAY or visit www.hiexpress.com.

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC of the United Kingdom [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is the world's largest hotel group by number of rooms. InterContinental Hotels Group owns, manages, leases or franchises, through various subsidiaries, over 3,600 hotels and 537,500 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, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites®, Candlewood Suites® and Hotel IndigoTM, and also manages the world's largest hotel loyalty program, Priority Club® Rewards.

InterContinental Hotels Group offers information and online reservations for all its hotel brands at www.ichotelsgroup.com and information for the Priority Club Rewards program at www.priorityclub.com.