Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts is looking to bring cache back with an extensive reinvention of the brand. The meetings focused properties are in the process of a massive three year overhaul which is seeing $250 million put into its hotels through the end of this year.
“Our brand is being reborn,” Gina LaBarre, vice president, Brand Management, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resort—the Americas, told Hotel Interactive last month. “We feel very strong out our positioning. By the end of 2009 it’s expected that up to 50 percent of today’s Crowne Plaza portfolio will be completely renovated.
With more than 50 Crowne Plaza hotels currently going through some form of resurgence, others will soon follow, ultimately modernizing the entire Americas portfolio.
“While our portfolio is becoming more contemporary and upscale, our hotels continue to offer amenities and services at an affordable price, without over-the-top luxuries,” LaBarre added. “Guests see this as great value and owners see a return on their investment.”
The brand has also created a new build product LaBarre said is both efficient to build and run.
Approaching its twenty-year anniversary, the Crowne Plaza in New York City’s Times Square recently underwent an $85 million renovation.
“The hotel has been able to achieve double digit RevPAR Index gains every month in 2009," said Nan Molofsky, senior vice president, City Investment Fund, the ownership group for the hotel.
The Crowne Plaza Old Town Alexandria in Washington, D.C., completed renovations in March 2008 and has seen proof that modernization is key in stealing share from competitors.
“We renovated our guest rooms, meeting space, restaurant and lobby,” said Hammad Shah, vice president, Asset Management, Carr Hospitality. “After just one year we have seen 11 straight months of positive RevPAR Index growth.”
For customers, LaBarre said the re-imagined Crowne Plaza meshes will with customer sentiment. “People are looking for value. Now they can get upper upscale quality without paying for what they don’t need or want, she said.
Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts was established in 1983 to become the upscale hotel brand for IHG then known as Holiday Inn Worldwide. IHG ultimately differentiated Crowne Plaza by making a significant investment in key hallmarks that set the brand apart from its competitors.
THE Place to Meet® positioning launched in 2003, the Sleep Advantage® Program in 2004 and its sponsorship of the longest-running tournament on the PGA TOUR, the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, in 2007. The brand continues to distinguish itself in the marketplace with a surge of property modernizations.
LaBarre said the PGA relationship in particular has been great for the brand. With their shared demographics she said they’ve used the sponsorship to be an “efficient vehicle for messaging.”
About Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts
As part of the IHG global portfolio, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts has almost 350 hotels worldwide, and are located in major urban centers, gateway cities and resort destinations. For reservations at Crowne Plaza properties, visit www.crowneplaza.com or call 1-800-2CROWNE.
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Glenn Haussman
Editor in Chief
Hotel Interactive, Inc.
Bio: Glenn Haussman is Hotel Interactive's Editor In Chief, where he manages all editorial content for the hotel industry’s leading online information resource. Here he creates unique and in-depth content that stimulates and educates the publication’s ...
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