Manama, Bahrain, June 12, 2002: Six Continents Hotels yesterday officially introduced Bahrain to its new Middle East reservations hub, bringing toll-free telephone bookings at Inter-Continental, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn hotels and resorts worldwide.

Bahrain’s travel agents, and the general public, can make instant hotel bookings by calling the newly-opened Six Continents Hotels Middle East Central Reservations Office in Dubai using the toll-free number - 800 880.

With a free phone call to the Reservations Office, the Bahrain travel trade, as well as business and leisure travellers, can make real-time bookings of rooms at any hotel and resort managed by Six Continents Hotels around the world.

“The opening of the Reservations Office is great news for Bahrain,” said Mark McCarthy, general manager of the Regency Inter-Continental Hotel Bahrain, venue for tonight’s official reception to introduce members of the Bahrain travel trade, business community, and media, to the Reservations Office.

“For the traveller booking independently, it means instant, toll-free reservations made through a central point.

“And instead of having to contact hotels individually, travel agents can save time, and money, with free calls to the Reservations Office to provide superior travel services to their clients.”

Six Continents Hotels owns, manages, leases or franchises over 3,270 hotels, with 512,000 guest rooms, in nearly 100 countries and territories. Its brands include Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Inter-Continental, Express by Holiday Inn and Staybridge Suites by Holiday Inn - all of which can now be reached by dialling one toll free number.

The company is the biggest hotel operator in the Middle East, and currently manages 62 hotels and resorts in the region, including the Regency Inter-Continental Bahrain and the Holiday Inn Bahrain with 11 more hotels under development.

“The new Central Reservations Office is regarded by many of us as a milestone achievement,” said Oussama Massoud, general manager of the Holiday Inn Bahrain. “Our commitment to this facility, and the growth of additional reservation facilities across the Middle East and Africa, reflects the value of this region’s travel volumes regionally and internationally.”

As well as offering instant hotel bookings, dedicated Six Continents Hotels reservations agents will tell callers about any special promotions available at their chosen destination.

Bahrain’s toll-free phone link to the Reservations Office in Dubai is one of five now in use in the region. Toll-free phone lines are also available in the UAE (800 4642), Saudi Arabia (800 8 971 465), Qatar (0800 97 1234) and Kuwait (473 2100 ext. 6233).
Six Continents Hotels plans to introduce toll-free lines in other parts of the Middle East and Africa region in the near future. Initially, callers from other countries in the region can contact the Reservations Office using a dedicated non-toll-free line - 9714 3311732.

The setting up of the Six Continents Hotels Middle East Reservations Office in Dubai follows the company’s successful consolidation of reservations systems previously in operation for both its Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza brands, and separately for the company’s most recent worldwide acquisition, Inter-Continental Hotels and Resorts.

“The operation to bring a global spread of quality accommodation, conference and event facilities together in one central reservations systems, to suit the widest spectrum of tastes and requirements, has been a major undertaking,” said Magdi Samman, Area Director of Marketing, Middle East and Africa, Six Continents Hotels.

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