Glasgow-based BDL Hotel Group has announced that Holiday Inn Docklands, which opened in May 2003, is to be upgraded to a Crowne Plaza hotel from November this year. The change is being made in response to customer demand for higher specification, luxury accommodation in the Docklands area. The hotel will convert to the Crowne Plaza brand in early November, following an external and internal upgrade and refurbishment of public areas, guestrooms and the conference and banqueting facilities. Crowne Plaza hotels have an upscale market image and are designed to provide high levels of comfort with a focus on facilities and services for business guests. Crowne Plaza is a dynamic brand with hotels in 43 countries around the world, each of which is as unique and varied as its guests. Every Crowne Plaza offers health and fitness facilities, quality dining options and discrete and flexible services. Consistent with the Crowne Plaza brand, the hotel in Docklands will offer extensive conference facilities, providing state-of-the-art conference and training suites along with modern function and event space, licensed for civil wedding ceremonies.

“The rebranding is a very positive development,” said John Bamsey, Chief Operating Officer, UK & Ireland for InterContinental Hotels Group. “Building on the success of this already popular hotel, the Crowne Plaza Docklands will have a great deal more to offer business and leisure travellers, as well as conference and meeting organisers. Crowne Plaza hotels offer upscale accommodation, great facilities and superlative hospitality, and we have no doubt that the latest addition to the brand at Docklands will build on this tradition.”

Ewan Campbell, BDL’s Group Marketing Director, explained, “The hotel team have built close relationships with a number of loyal guests, and the rebranding is a very positive step both for them and new customers. We are a young hotel with an already excellent reputation, and by building on this through upgrading and improving both our physical amenities and our service levels, we hope to become the best value hotel in Docklands.”

The hotel opened as a Holiday Inn in May 2003, with a cutting edge, contemporary interior and higher quality finish than would normally be expected of the brand. The change to the Crowne Plaza brand will see further upgrades and refurbishment of the 210 bedroom property, including:

ÈÊÊÊÊÊÊ superior facilities in the guestrooms
ÈÊÊÊÊÊÊ enhanced meeting and conference facilities, including the introduction of an Executive Boardroom
ÈÊÊÊÊÊÊ refurbishment of the lobby and restaurant
ÈÊÊÊÊÊÊ major external upgrading
ÈÊÊÊÊÊÊ new menus in the Mediterranean-inspired Terra Restaurant, and Isle Bar and Lounge

The hotel’s interior design is about simplicity, clean lines, geometry and large open spaces - the water feature in the hotel’s Quad Club Health & Fitness Club, can be viewed due to its careful positioning on the central axis of the hotel. The hotel’s public areas are flooded with natural light due to it’s the full height glazing, which provides stunning views over the Docklands to the Millennium Dome and Canary Wharf.

Facilities include the Terra Restaurant, Isle Bar and Lounge, and the Quad Club, a health and fitness suite endorsed by 4-time Olympic Gold Medallist, Matthew Pinsent.

The hotel benefits from an ideal location at Victoria Dock, offering easy access to the ExCel exhibition centre, London City Airport and Canary Wharf. The Docklands Light Railway is just a few minutes walk from the hotel, making Central London readily accessible.
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