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InterContinental Hot Happenings

InterContinental Hotels & Resorts is celebrating the summer season with new hotel openings across the globe (Beijing, Jordan, Cyprus, Germany) and extensive renovations and additions at a number of InterContinental properties.Ê The luxury hotel collection also announces the creation of the Euro-Dollar meeting incentive program as well as reintroducing the widely popular global Luxury Escapes program.Ê
INTERCONTINENTAL PROGRAM NEWS
Returning just in time for the Summer 2005 season is InterContinental Hotels & Resorts’ Luxury Escapes program.Ê Available from May 1, 2005 to September 30,Ê 2005, the program includes breakfast and guaranteed late checkout at 100 participating properties, with rates beginning as low as $89 (USD)** per night.Ê Only requiring a five-day advance booking and one-night deposit, the program allows for the perfect summer getaway to fabulous destinations such as Paris, Geneva, Hong Kong, Cannes, Prague, Costa Rica, Rio, Sydney, Cairo, Sharm El Sheikh, Bali, San Francisco, New Orleans, and Cozumel.Ê
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InterContinental Hotels & Resorts introduces the new Euro-Dollar Program, which guarantees that one Euro equals one U.S. dollarregardless of fluctuating exchange rates.Ê Available for new events booked and consumed at select* hotels through February 2006, bookings must include at least 10 guest rooms and one meeting room hired for incentive groups, conferences or corporate meetings.ÊÊ The Euro-Dollar Program applies to the total meeting value (including tax, gratuities, porterage fees, food and beverages and accommodations) and is based on availability and exchange rates at market close on the date the contract is signed. Reservations can be made by calling 800-MEETING (633-8464) or by emailing [email protected].Ê Additional meetings information on any InterContinental property worldwide can be found on www.meetings.ichotelsgroup.com.
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HOTEL OPENINGS
InterContinental Financial Street Beijing will open this May as the first and only luxury hotel in the city’s rapidly growing new Financial Street business center and future home of the Chinese government houses.Ê The 20-story, 332-room hotel offers convenient access to the city’s prime shopping and cultural sites and will serve as a unique and stylish oasis versatile enough to cater to every need and whim of its sophisticated guests. Facilities include a variety of food and beverage venues (four total), well-appointed meeting and conference facilities, a temperature-controlled indoor swimming pool with a pool bar, and a fully-equipped fitness center and spa.Ê With 26 hotels across Asia Pacific, InterContinental has always been a market leader and trendsetter in the region.Ê This opening will not only position InterContinental as a pioneer of Beijing’s future, but will also be the brand’s first flagship property in mainland China.
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InterContinental Aqaba will also officially open this May in Jordan.ÊAs the largest operator of hotels in the Middle East, InterContinental Hotels Group now boasts five properties in Jordan.Ê Crowning the peak of the Red Sea on the Gulf of Aqaba, the five-star resort features 255 guestrooms, deluxe Presidential and Royal suites, Lebanese and French cuisine, an all-day coffee shop, a Deli Café, and a piano bar.Ê The new luxury property also boasts the longest stretch of private beach in Aqaba, with more than 3,000 square-feet of white sand.
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Recently opened is the InterContinental Aphrodite Hills Resort in Cyprus. Spectacularly located with stunning views of the Aphrodite’s Rock site and the Mediterranean sea, the five-star resort’s facilities are second to none on the island, featuring 290 guestrooms and suites with 17 private pools and Jacuzzis, an 18-hole golf course and academy, a 400-seat outdoor amphitheatre, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a Wilson tennis academy, and a 24-hour health club featuring
state-of the-art fitness equipment. The hotel also boasts a full-service spa by Pevonia (the brand’s first in Europe), known as The Retreat. With contemporary, elegant design and the surrounding culture, mythology and tradition, this will undoubtedly be a haven for devotees of unique luxury and adventure. Careful attention to every detail ensures idyllic accommodations, exceptional services, and outstanding conference and banquet facilities.Ê
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The InterContinental Resort Berchtesgaden also recently opened in the picturesque Bavarian Alps of Germany, a relatively undeveloped region. The 150-room property features three restaurants, an extensive spa with full fitness center and indoor and outdoor swimming pools, and state-of-the-art technology in a variety of conference facilities, which have been thoughtfully designed for events of all types. The building’s glass façade and horseshoe formation ensures uninterrupted views of the stunning scenery from all four floors. In-room amenities include rain showers, digital flat screen television, and most accommodations feature open fireplaces.Ê For that added touch of luxury and exclusivity, a private butler is also available upon request. In addition to the spa, a nine-hole golf course and direct access to the Eckerbichl ski lifts position the resort as the top leisure attraction in Bavaria.Ê
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Looking forward to 2006, the new InterContinental Resort & Thalasso-Spa Bora Bora will open on the eastern side of Bora Bora’s lagoon, in a deserted and virgin islet of French Polynesia’s coral ring. Accessible only by boat, this secluded beach near Motu Reef will be home to the new resort.Ê Opening in May 2006, the exclusive new enclave, an investment of nearly $50 million (USD), will showcase 80 sumptuous over-water bungalows, eight of which boast views of Mount Otemanau.ÊÊ Amenities include: two flat screen televisions with local and international channels; CD and DVD players; king size beds; separate shower and bath as well as dual sinks in each guest bath; ADSL Internet connection as well as WiFi connection; and an exterior freshwater shower on each room’s private terrace.Ê The fourth InterContinental to open in French Polynesia will be environmentally conscious, using deep sea water from a depth of 2,500 feet to fuel its air conditioning.
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Additional noteworthy openings include:

-Ê InterContinental City Stars Heliopolis - Cairo, Egypt (November 2004)

-ÊÊ InterContinental Abu Soma Resort Red Sea - Abu Soma, Egypt (January 2005)

-ÊÊInterContinental Düsseldorf - Düsseldorf, Germany (Summer 2005)

-ÊÊInterContinental Al Khobar - Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia (Late 2005)  -ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ InterContinental Penang Hotel - Penang, Malaysia (Late 2005)
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RENOVATIONS AND REOPENINGS Ê
Continuing in its effort to further enhance and improve facilities and provide guests with the finest possible experience, the InterContinental Hong Kong has joined hands with LTW (Lim + Teo + Wilkes Design Works), who have been commissioned to refurbish the hotel’s guest rooms to create a new, soft, streamlined design with Asian influences. The spacious new rooms will feature large curved desks and multi-use counters for LCD flat-screen TVs and sound systems. The project also consists of a spectacular new penthouse Presidential Suite, which will include a duplex atrium entrance hall, living room, dining room, kitchen and four bedrooms. Most spectacular will be the expansive wrap-around terrace with an infinity spa pool overlooking Victoria Harbour. There will also be two new themed suites, the Romance Suite and the Business Suite, to dazzle the most demanding lovers and executives. Both of these suites have large outdoor terraces with Jacuzzis overlooking Victoria Harbour and Hong Kong Island.
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A multimillion dollar restoration project is underway at the InterContinental London Hyde Park.Ê All of the hotel’s 460 guestrooms will be renovated and a full-service spa will be added.ÊRefurbishments will also include a new destination restaurant, full health club, new state-of-the-art meeting facilities, enhanced Club InterContinental Lounge, and deluxe suites (including a duplex suite).Ê Completion is slated for early 2006, coinciding with the landmark hotel’s 30th anniversary.Ê
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The InterContinental Sydney recently unveiled its new Rooftop Club InterContinental Lounge, a magnificent new rooftop lounge like none other Down Under. The hotel’s outdoor wraparound deck, situated on the 32nd floor, promises uninterrupted and breathtaking views of the Harbour Bridge and Pacific Ocean.ÊÊÊ The new lounge marks the completion of the hotel’s grand refurbishment project, which included renovations to each of its 509 guestrooms and suites.Ê
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