New Crowne Plaza in Tampa, FL, to Open in Early March

By: Crowne Plaza | 0 Shares 97 Reads

February 26, 2009 // Franchising.com // 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 Tampa Westshore will open in early March, following a complete interior and exterior multi-million dollar transformation.

The new Crowne Plaza Tampa Westshore is located in the heart of the Westshore business district overlooking Tampa Bay and is less than two miles from Tampa International Airport. Guests will be minutes from the University of Tampa, MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa General Hospital and the University of South Florida. Nearby leisure attractions include Busch Gardens, George M Steinbrenner Field, Adventure Island, Raymond James Stadium, St. Pete Times Forum and the Port of Tampa located at Channelside. Local businesses include Humana, Lockheed Martin, Bank of America, Verizon, General Electric, Microsoft and Cisco Systems.

"We're pleased to bring our second Crowne Plaza to the Tampa area, especially in such a convenient location for business travelers," said Gina LaBarre, Vice President, Brand Management, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, the Americas. "There are several major employers in the area that will benefit from the meetings-savvy products and services that only a Crowne Plaza can provide."

The 11-story Crowne Plaza Tampa Westshore offers 222 guest rooms, 44 of which are Cabana Suites overlooking the tropical courtyard and pool. Guests have access to a variety of amenities to include complimentary airport shuttle, fitness center, complimentary wireless high

speed Internet, a 24-hour business center, an outdoor swimming pool and Pangaea, a full service restaurant and bar offering eclectic cuisine for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

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 seven meeting rooms with more than 9,000 square feet of flexible, upscale meeting space accommodating up to 700 people, including more than 5,000 square feet of pre-function space.

The property, located at 5303 West Kennedy Boulevard, Tampa, FL, is owned by MHI Hospitality Corporation (AMEX:MDH) and managed by MHI Hotel Services, under a license agreement with a company in the InterContinental Hotels Group.

"We are delighted to add the Crowne Plaza Tampa Westshore to our portfolio of hotels under management," said Kim Simms, President of MHI Hotel Services. "The contemporary design and exceptional service and amenities provided by the hotel will surely make this Tampa's most popular destination for business and leisure travelers."

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.

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.

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