Historical San Antonio conversion located minutes from World Famous Texas landmarks
ATLANTA (April 4, 2007) – IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON: IHG, NYSE: IHG (ADRs)], the world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms, announced plans for a 91-room Hotel Indigo at the Alamo in the historical Gibbs Building in downtown San Antonio. The conversion property, owned by 1909 Ltd, will be managed by IHG’s Americas operations division, The Hotel Management Group, under a long term management contract, effective June 27, 2006.The hotel is expected to open early 2008, making it the third Hotel Indigo in Texas; Houston and Dallas properties opened in summer and fall 2006, respectively.
Hotel Indigo at the Alamo began renovations on the one-of-a-kind Gibbs Building in October 2006, and the nearly 100-year-old building will retain all of its original wood work and marble. Once the hotel is completed, guests will be just steps from world famous Texas destinations: the Alamo and San Antonio River Walk-both within walking distance from the hotel. The Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center and San Antonio International Airport are also within close proximity of the hotel, making it convenient for both leisure and business travelers.
„We are thrilled to announce plans for the third Hotel Indigo property in Texas,“ said Jim Anhut, senior vice president, Brand Development, the Americas, InterContinental Hotels Group. „The Hotel Indigo at the Alamo will be a great addition to our brand portfolio with its historical roots and ideal location. Hotel Indigo’s branded boutique concept is a perfect fit for this property, as it allowed us to harness the uniqueness of this historical building, while implementing refreshing elements exclusive to the Hotel Indigo brand.“
Located at 105 Alamo Plaza, in the heart of downtown San Antonio, Hotel Indigo at the Alamo will offer guests meeting space perfect for small meetings or events; full fitness and business centers; 24-hour front desk service; express check-out and a complimentary, daily USA Today.
The soul of Hotel Indigo’s retail-inspired concept is renewal – thoughtful changes that are made throughout the year to keep the hotel fresh, similar to the way retailers change their window displays. The renewal concept provides even the most frequent guest a unique experience with every stay. Hotel Indigo at the Alamo will feature renewable elements such as vivid murals, area rugs, plush duvets and slip covers that will change periodically. Public spaces will be transformed seasonally through changing artwork, music, flora, murals and directional signage.
The new hotel will feature signature design elements including oversized lobby chairs, which create a personal work or dining space within the public areas of the hotel; cozy, airy and inviting guestrooms with plush bedding, hardwood-style flooring and spa-style showers; a „phi“tness studio with cardio equipment and free weights. The hotel will also offer meeting and function space as well as high-speed Internet access in all guestrooms and wireless in the public spaces.
Hotel Indigo at the Alamo will offer guests the dining options they want, featuring gourmet health-conscious fare prepared quickly for the time-conscious traveler. The Golden Bean will showcase Hotel Indigo’s refreshingly unique approach to breakfast serving traditional morning favorites with a twist and Starbucks Coffee. With an emphasis on ever-changing seasonal ingredients, Phi will offer both tempting starters and entrees in the evening. The evening menu includes fresh salads, pizzettas, Panini sandwiches, and other trend forward entrees. Guests can dine in casual elegance within the intimate restaurant, while relaxing in one of the hotel’s signature oversized lobby chairs or in their room.
The Hotel Indigo brand is quickly expanding throughout North America, with eight locations open and more than 40 in the pipeline. The first Hotel Indigo opened in Atlanta in October 2004, followed by Hotel Indigo Chicago Gold Coast; Chicago Schaumburg North; Houston at the Galleria; Hotel Indigo Dallas; Ottawa Downtown City Centre, Canada; Hotel Indigo Scottsdale, Ariz.; and Hotel Indigo Sarasota, Fla. Future sites of Hotel Indigo hotels include Nashville and Knoxville, Tenn.; and Columbus, Ind. For more information on Hotel Indigo, or to make reservations, please visit http://www.hotelindigo.com/.
About Hotel Indigo
The newest member of the IHG family, Hotel Indigo is the industry’s first branded boutique hotel experience. It is uniquely designed to appeal to style savvy, lifestyle focused guests who desire affordable luxury, genuine service and an alternative to traditional hotels without sacrificing any of the businesses amenities they have come to expect. Renewal is the soul of Hotel Indigo’s retail-inspired design concept – thoughtful changes that are made throughout the year to keep the hotel fresh, similar to the way retailers change their window displays. Guestrooms feature signature murals, area rugs, fluffy duvets and slipcovers that will change periodically, while public spaces will be transformed seasonally through changing aromas, music, artwork, murals and directional signage. From relaxed café dining to high-style rooms – Hotel Indigo creates an intriguing, warm and inviting environment for guests. For more information on Hotel Indigo, please visit http://www.hotelindigo.com/.
Hotel Indigo participates in Priority Club Rewards. With more than 31 million members, Priority Club® Rewards is the first, largest and fastest-growing guest loyalty program in the hotel industry. Winner of the 18th Annual Freddie Awards hotel loyalty „Program of the Year“ and named „Best Hotel Rewards Program in the World“ by Global Traveler magazine, Priority Club Rewards offers more sought-after benefits and the greatest ease of use of any hotel loyalty program. In addition to flexible features like No Points Expiration and No Blackout Dates, members have more options for points redemption than any other hotel loyalty program, including redemption at more than 500,000 lodging establishments worldwide – even at rivals‘ hotels – through the industry-leading „Any Hotel, Anywhere“ reward, as well as the option to redeem points for airline miles on more than 40 partner airlines, for auto rentals, for gift certificates and for hundreds of products available in the Rewards Catalog. If the Rewards Catalog doesn’t have what a member is looking for, Priority Club Rewards is the only hotel loyalty program to offer members a Personal Shopper program that allows point redemptions for items not found in the Rewards Catalog.
Enrollment in Priority Club Rewards is free. Guests can enroll by logging on at priorityclub.com, by calling 1-888-211-9874 or by inquiring at the front desk of any of IHG’s 3,700 hotels worldwide.
About The Hotel Management Group
IHG’s The Hotel Management Group is the fourth largest management company in North America. As of December 31, 2006, IHG’s management portfolio consists of more than 200 hotels and nearly 44,000 rooms with another 14 hotels and 3,700 rooms in the pipeline. Recently, The Hotel Management Group launched Performance Advantage, its proprietary hotel management program which allows for adaptation of its management services and contract terms based on the needs of each individual property investor.
InterContinental Hotels Group offers information and online reservations for all its hotel brands at http://www.ihg.com/ and information for the Priority Club Rewards programme at http://www.priorityclub.com/.
Notes to Editors:
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 3,700 hotels and 556,000 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, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites®, Candlewood Suites® and Hotel Indigo®, and also manages the world’s largest hotel loyalty programme, Priority Club® Rewards.
InterContinental Hotels Group offers information and online reservations for all its hotel brands at http://www.ihg.com/ and information for the Priority Club Rewards programme at http://www.priorityclub.com/.
