Crowne Plaza hotels open in Paris and London

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April 02, 2009 // Franchising.com // The Crowne Plaza Paris République and Crowne Plaza London Kensington hotels open this month.

The 328-room Crowne Plaza Paris République opened today. Owned by Westbridge, it is the fifth Crowne Plaza in France and the second in Paris, alongside the Crowne Plaza Paris Champs Elysées.

Built in 1865 during Napoleon III's reign, the building boasts the classic Parisian Haussmann-style exterior and a historic inner courtyard. Its bar, 10 Bar, offers views directly onto the République square while its new restaurant, 10 Restaurant, serves French cuisine under the direction of chef David Desplanques, formerly of Robuchon and Ducasse.

For business guests, its 18 meeting rooms cover 815m², with 16 providing natural daylight.

Located metres from the République metro station and within minutes of many of Paris' key attractions, it is just three stops from the Gare du Nord, home to the Eurostar terminal and with high speed trains to both Roissy Charles de Gaulle and Orly Airports.

The 162-room Crowne Plaza London Kensington, owned by Lum Chang (London) ltd, is scheduled to open on 21 April after an £8 million refurbishment.

Located opposite Gloucester Road tube station, the property's Victorian façade contrasts with its contemporary interior. Here guests can relax in the Traffic bar or StreetSide restaurant, serving modern British cuisine, or recharge in the fitness suite.

The meeting centre incorporates five naturally lit rooms, two of which overlook the hotel's secluded one acre landscaped garden. The centre provides 271m² meeting space, with the largest room seating 110 delegates theatre-style.

In addition to 31 club rooms the hotel will also have 20 split-level suites, all offering exclusive club lounge access. Divided into four categories, these will include seven Junior Suites, four Syndicate Suites (designed to allow meetings for up to six people), five Superior Suites and four seasonally-themed Deluxe Suites, including skylights and balconies overlooking the private garden.

IHG's President Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA), Kirk Kinsell, said: "Opening new properties in the heart of two of the world's most vibrant capital cities is testament to the strong reputation that Crowne Plaza has amongst business travellers."

"Since introducing Crowne Plaza to this part of the world more than 20 years ago it has become one of the world's fastest growing upscale brands for travellers. Now more than ever, our guests continue to look for a great value place to stay that combines comfort with contemporary style. With their high levels of comfort, service and facilities, these two new properties will certainly help our guests enjoy a productive stay when visiting Paris and London."

About Crowne Plaza

Following significant upgrading work, both Crowne Plaza hotels have converted from Holiday Inn hotels and are operated under franchise agreements. Holiday Inn Paris République opened in 1982 while Holiday Inn London Kensington opened in 1991.
The four Crowne Plaza hotels in France are Toulouse (opened 1989), Lille-Euralille (opened 2002), Montauban-Toulouse North (opened 2006) and Paris-Champs Elysées (September 2008).
The first Crowne Plaza in Europe opened in Amsterdam City Centre in March 1987.
As of 31 December 2008 the upscale hotel brand had 89 hotels in the EMEA region and 342 properties globally.

About IHG

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 recognised 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 programme, 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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