Singapore, 18 November 2009 – Guests at Holiday Inn’s
city-centre hotel woke up today to a new look and a new name.
The 319-room hotel, which overlooks the Istana in Orchard Road,
officially unveiled a S$25 million dollar refurbishment of the entire
property, including guest rooms, function rooms and public areas.
And, overnight, the covers came off, to reveal a new name that better
reflects its central location.
The former Holiday Inn Park View, which first opened its doors in 1985,
is now known as Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre.
The extensive refurbishment, carried out in stages over the past 15
months, was undertaken by owners, the Harilela Group, in conjunction
with Holiday Inn’s US$1 billion global relaunch programme ― designed to
overhaul more than 3,200 hotels under theHoliday Inn brand family
worldwide.
Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre is one of the first Holiday
Inns in South East Asia to relaunch with the new look and brand
hallmarks. The hotel boasts new signage and lighting, an upgraded
reception area with Holiday Inn’s unique brand scent and sound, the
‘Stay Real’ service promise that values every guest as an individual,
comfortable bedding with choice of firm or soft pillows, and power
showers.
Dr. Aron Harilela, Director of the Hong Kong-based international
property developer with properties in Hong Kong, the Far East, Europe
and the Americas; was at the relaunch, unveiling the new name and logo
to signify the beginning of a new era for the hotel.
“The decision to invest such a significant amount during these
uncertain times was a real vote of confidence in this property, the
Holiday Inn brand, and Singapore as a growing centre for business and
tourism,” said Dr. Harilela.
“And it was also based on the fact that as we have a very high repeat
guest ratio in the city, we need to keep working at constantly
improving our product and service in order to maintain that high level
of customer satisfaction and loyalty,” he added.
Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre’s General Manager, Mr.
Shantha de Silva, echoed Dr. Harilela’s sentiments.
He said, “This refurbishment and repositioning puts us right up there
alongside the top hotels in the Orchard Road area. We have focused on
the things that guests value most when they think about quality ― great
beds, great showers, and genuine service with a
contemporary look. And, we also have the unique advantage of being
located right in the city centre, just off the beaten track.”
“That means our guests have the best of both worlds: the buzz and
excitement of Orchard Road for shopping and entertainment and a quiet,
secluded environment for rest and relaxation.” added Mr. de Silva.
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, nearly 4,400 hotels
and over 640,000 guest rooms in 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 47
million members worldwide.
IHG has 1,500 hotels in its development pipeline, which will create
140,000 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.
IHG offers information and online reservations for all its hotel brands
at www.ihg.com and information for the Priority Club Rewards programme
at www.priorityclub.com. For the latest news from IHG, visit our online
Press Office at www.ihg.com/media
About Holiday Inn Relaunch
Holiday Inn is in the midst of the biggest relaunch in hospitality
history creating a more contemporary brand image including a new logo,
and driving consistency in all 3,296 Holiday Inn brand family hotels
around the world. With over 1,400 hotels already relaunched worldwide,
the completion of the relaunch of the global estate is expected to be
completed in 2010.
About the Harilela Group
The Harilela Group which is wholly owned by the Harilela family, is a
Hong Kong based private company with over thirty-eight years of
experience in the investment and development of hotels in Hong Kong,
the Far East, Europe and the Americas.
The strategy for the Harilela Group is based on making our hotels and
hospitality related ownerships the preferred choice for the guests.
This produces financial returns for the shareholders, making our
establishments the preferred choice and in turn, increasing our
distribution and returns on the property. Our continued focus on
customer preference has resulted in the acquisition of a range of
brands, each serving a different segment of the international hotel and
leisure market.
The group diversified its interests into hotels in 1961 when Imperial
Hotel, Hong Kong was first acquired. Over the last three decades, the
Group has spread its investments to the healthcare and food and
beverage sector in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, United
Kingdom, Canada and Australia.
The group will be continuing with this pattern for future investments.
Holiday Inn hotels – Intercontinental Hotel Group, the most recognized
name in the industry worldwide, remains our core brand investment. Our
portfolio also includes other distinct brands – Sheraton and Westin
(Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.), Quality Hotel and our
very own limited service brand Ambassador Hotel Services Pte Ltd,
operating at the world's best airport -Singapore Changi Airport.
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