TAMPA, Fla., Nov. 5, 1998 - A $12-million renovation
project underway at the Holiday Inn-Tampa (Near Busch Gardens), 2701 E.
Fowler Ave., will transform the hotel into a resort offering superior accommodations
to business and pleasure travelers.
Work already is underway at the hotel, which closed Sept. 15 and reopens
on February 1st, 1999, as a completely "new" Holiday Inn. The TGI Friday's
restaurant at the hotel will continue operations throughout most of the
renovation. All of the hotels' four hundred guestrooms will be completely
redone in colorful and tropical themes. The areas of the interior and exterior
will be entirely renovated, including meeting space capable of seating
300 conference attendees. Other features to be added to the 12-acre resort
include:
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A new water attraction featuring a pirate ship with slides and water cannons.
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Twenty-five Kids Suites. Children will have their own space, separated
from their parents' area. In addition to adult queen beds, these
suites will include partitioned areas with two bunk beds, a single bed,
TV, radio and video games.
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A Convenience Cafe with a pool-side bar, serving full hot breakfast buffet
and light lunch and dinner menus. Convenience Cafes combine the concepts
of a food court, hotel gift shop and entertainment space into one open
area of the hotel.
"The new resort will offer something for everyone," said General Manager
John Moors. "We will have rooms for families who want to join in the "Busch
Gardens" fun, as well as business travelers who are here to work, and combine
some Florida style relaxation. The hotel is near corporate parks, the University
of South Florida, medical centers and Busch Gardens. We cater to almost
every market segment and strive to exceed every guest's expectations."
The Holiday Inn hosted job fairs, in which local businesses came to
the hotel and interviewed staff, offered commitment bonuses and transfers,
and provided access to job placement for employees displaced by its temporary
closure. These employees will be the first invited to apply for positions
when the hotel reopens. The hotel's conversion to a resort will create
many new jobs.
The Holiday Inn-Tampa (Near Busch Gardens) is operated by Dallas-based
Bristol Hotels Resorts (NYSE: BH) and owned by FelCor Lodging Limited Partnership,
a subsidiary of FelCor Lodging Trust (NYSE: FCH). Bristol Hotels Resorts
is the largest independent hotel operator in the United States and operates
the largest number of Bass Hotels and Resorts branded hotels in the world.
Bristol's more than 120 hotels include nearly 33,000 rooms in 27 states
and Canada. They operate in the mid-priced to upscale segments of the industry
and are located in 19 of the top 25 lodging markets in the United States.
Bristol operates nearly 100 Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn properties and
is a leading franchisee in Bass' billion-and-a-half-dollar modernization
program. By the year 2000, Bristol will have overseen the investment of
$400 million in the redevelopment of Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn hotels. |