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the First Nick-themed Hotel, the Nickelodeon Family Suites by Holiday Inn - Orlando |
| New York, NY - Oct. 9, 2003 - Nickelodeon, the number-one kids brand,
is partnering with Holiday Inn® Hotels & Resorts to develop the
first Nick-themed hotel, opening in Orlando, Fla. Nick's brand philosophy
of putting kids first in everything it does will extend to all aspects
of the hotel, especially in the hotel's suites which give kids their own
rooms. The hotel will be called the Nickelodeon Family Suites by
Holiday Inn and is scheduled to open in early 2005. The announcement
was made by Jeffrey D. Dunn, President, Nickelodeon Enterprises,
and Mark Snyder, Senior Vice President, Brand Management, Holiday Inn Hotels
& Resorts, The Americas.
"We intend to provide families a better vacation experience by giving kids their very own bedrooms in suites that offer tremendous function and value when compared to regular hotel rooms," said Dunn. "We originally looked into building our own hotel, but we found that the Holiday Inn Family Suites Resort has the ideal design and management team to communicate Nickelodeon's sensibility and our connection to kids." "What we're planning for this hotel will go way beyond 'family friendly,'
" said Snyder. "The Holiday Inn brand pioneered family travel more
than 50 years ago, and the Holiday Inn Family Suites Resort perfected the
family hotel experience. The Nickelodeon relationship will take the
already award-winning combination to the next level by creating a one-of-a-kind
family entertainment destination inside the four walls of a hotel."
Nickelodeon Family Suites will be the latest line of business for Nickelodeon Enterprises. The ancillary arm of the network, Nickelodeon Enterprises includes licensing, online, magazines and recreation, and brought in $2.6 billion in retail sales of consumer products last year. Nickelodeon Enterprises' recreation department entertains more than 18 million consumers annually at live theatrical shows and theme park attractions nationwide, including Universal Studios Florida, a short distance from the hotel. The hotel will be managed by the current hotel's team, which has spent more than 25 years creating revolutionary family travel concepts, such as giving kids their own space, beds and entertainment options. Opened in 1999, the Holiday Inn Family Suites Resort has been voted Best Holiday Inn North America from 2001-03 by InterContinental Hotels Group's Priority Club Members Worldwide. "We are taking an already fabulous hotel experience and creating something extraordinary with the Nickelodeon-themed hotel," said Terry Whaples, co-founder of the Holiday Inn Family Suites Resort and a 30-year veteran of Central Florida's hospitality industry. "Kids and their families have loved our suites, amenities and entertainment since we opened four years ago, and operating as a Nick-themed hotel will put us over the top as a new vacation destination for kids and their families." Ms. Whaples co-founded the Holiday Inn Family Suites Resort four years ago with a partnership team that includes U.S. Senator and Astronaut John Glenn and Henri Landwirth, founder of Give Kids the World, a Central Florida charity that provides comprehensive free resort stays for terminally ill children and their families. Ed Rudman, co-founder and chairman of Pell Rudman, a 23-year-old wealth management firm located in Boston and nine other cities, has been an independent director of the hotel since its opening. He has now expanded his role by joining the partnership along with Miller Global Properties, a Denver-based real estate company which develops, acquires, operates and owns hotels, office buildings and mixed use properties throughout the United States and Europe. "As hospitality property owners and commercial real estate investors, we see this as the most innovative hotel opportunity of the decade," said Jim Miller, President of Miller Global. "This launches a new era in travel for kids and their families." Miller Global Properties has been developing and acquiring commercial real estate properties since its inception in 1995. Focusing primarily on hotels and office buildings, the company has been involved in 68 properties representing over $2 billion of asset value comprising 8.25 million square feet of office space and 1500 hotel rooms. The company has invested nearly $600 million of equity in 18 cities and three countries. Prior to forming Miller Global, various principals were involved in the development, management and/or ownership of such prestigious hotels as The Lodge at Pebble Beach, The Inn at Spanish Bay, Aspen's Little Nell Hotel and The Beverly Hills Hotel. About Nickelodeon
About Holiday Inn
|
| Contact:
Sara Stern Levin
Virginia Bush
Julia Montgomery/Cheryl Henry
|
| Also See: | Economic Revival in Second Half of 2003 Builds Momentum for Robust Lodging Demand Recovery in 2004; PricewaterhouseCoopers Forecasts RevPAR to Increase by 4.9 Percent in 2004 / October 2003 |
Nickelodeon
will convert the popular Holiday Inn Family Suites Resort, located in Lake
Buena Vista and convenient to Orlando's major theme-park attractions, into
a first-of-its kind Nick-themed environment. Nick will add its signature
entertainment and style to the current hotel's 800 suites that include
two- and three-bedroom Kidsuites® that give kids their own space and
entertainment areas and provide parents with a comfortable, family focused
environment.
