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the First Hotel Indigo in Atlanta's Mid-town Area |
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| ATLANTA - August 5, 2004 - InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) announced
today that it has hired Gabriele Webster as General Manager and Scott Petrine
as Director of Sales for the first Hotel Indigo scheduled to open this
fall in Atlanta's mid-town area.
"The essence of this unique brand is in the retail service culture and its ability to make guests feel welcome and renewed when they stay at the hotel. Gabriele and Scott have the necessary operational skills, and they also have the personalities and enthusiasm that personify the brand essence - they each possess that intangible quality that says we absolutely have the right people with the right attitude and the right understanding of service to lead this hotel,'" said Alexi Hakim, VP, Operations, IHG. Gabriele Webster most recently served as regional vice president of operations, Prime Hospitality based in Atlanta, where she directed operations for 21 properties with 2,600 rooms throughout the southeast region, including Atlanta, Nashville and Memphis. In this role, Gabriele earned the highest Quality Assurance scores of the entire chain. In addition, Gabriele was instrumental in developing training and mentoring programs that led to significant developmental and promotional opportunities for her staff. Prior to that Gabriele served as General Manager at the AmeriSuites Atlanta Buckhead property before taking on additional responsibilities as District Operations Manager for AmeriSuites. Gabriele started her career in hospitality as the General Manager of the Ramada/Days Inn at the Carrollton Convention Center. Gabriele is a graduate of LaGrange College and the University of Stuttgart, Germany. Scott Petrine joins IHG from the Embassy Suites in Buckhead having worked as the Outside Corporate Sales Manager since December 2001. Prior to that assignment, Scott held positions as Director of Sales at the Comfort Suites Hotel Atlanta - Perimeter; Sales Manager at the Radisson Atlanta - Executive Park and the Marriott Grande Ocean Resort on Hilton Head Island, SC. Scott is a graduate of Eastern Illinois University with a degree in Home Economics and Business Administration. According to Alexi, "Finding people like Gabriele and Scott didn't happen by chance, IHG developed a comprehensive hiring process that measures the practical skills of applicants, as well as their understanding of the Hotel Indigo brand. We've taken careful consideration to create an inclusive, refreshing physical environment, but the inclusiveness of the physical environment will be lived through the service culture of the staff. Gabriele and Scott embody the enthusiasm and understanding that we're here to make guests comfortable and take care of their needs away from home." A brand developed primarily for conversions, Hotel Indigo is designed to fit a variety of markets in locations where a hotel might not be reaching its full potential. The first Hotel Indigo is scheduled to open in Atlanta, Ga. by the end of 2004 and will have approximately 140 rooms. The brand has a growth potential in high profile urban and close-in suburban markets like Chicago, Miami, Boston and Los Angeles. About InterContinental Hotels Group InterContinental Hotels Group PLC of the United Kingdom [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is the world's most global hotel company and the largest by number of rooms. InterContinental Hotels Group owns, manages, leases or franchises, through various subsidiaries, more than 3,500 hotels and 538,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories around the world (www.ichotelsgroup.com). |
| Contact:
Caroline Sanfilippo
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| Also See: | Intercontinental Hotels Group Embarks on Seventh Brand; The Hotel Indigo (TM) Brand Created Primarily for Conversions / April 2004 |