InterContinental Hotels: Priority Club & Inter-Continental Ambassador - 5 UK Hilton's to become HI's, inc Brighton

July 11, 2005

InterContinental Hotels Group adds portfolio of five Holiday Inn hotels in the UK

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (“IHG”) announces the signing of a franchise agreement for five Holiday Inn hotels in the UK owned by Stardon, a joint venture company formed between Starwood Capital Europe and Chardon Hotels.

The hotels, managed by Chardon Management, will undergo significant refurbishment to meet Holiday Inn brand standards, and will be operated under a twenty year franchise agreement.

Andrew Cosslett, Chief Executive Officer of InterContinental Hotels Group, commented:

“The Holiday Inn UK portfolio now stands at 100 hotels and continues to out perform the market. We are delighted to be working with Starwood Capital Europe and Chardon who are both well respected in the hospitality industry.”

Maurice Taylor, Director, Stardon and Chief Executive, Chardon Management, commented:

“We are delighted to be growing the number of properties we operate with IHG. Our commitment to Holiday Inn extends back over 12 years and during this time we have been successfully involved in all areas of the brand as an experienced hotel operator and franchisee. Having considered all options currently available, with a global brand and highly developed support system, IHG offer the best franchise option for these hotels.”

Further details of portfolio:

Holiday Inn Leeds - Garforth 144 rooms
Holiday Inn Brighton - Seafront 131 rooms
Holiday Inn Norwich City Airport 121 rooms
Holiday Inn Corby - Rockingham 105 rooms
Holiday Inn Glasgow, East Kilbride 101 rooms

^ you hear so much about closures, and sell-offs to plough money back to shareholders, & so little about expansion- that any news like this is good news, especially Brighton - fantastic it's seafront, not motorway.

I would hold back booking Brighton for a year or so until the refurbishment is done. Here's one comment from tripadvisor on the Hilton Brighton West Pier (soon to be a HI):

I booked this for my girlfriend and I and when we reached Brighton Friday 23/07/04 we were really looking forward to a great weekend. When we drove passed the Hilton Metropole we though that looks great the West Pier must be the same. But we drove down about another 200 yards and came across what looked like a block of tower flats. We then realised that this was the Hilton West Pier hotel. I was in immediate embarrassment as I could see on my girlfriends face what she was thinking.

We drove in to the under ground car park that smelt like tramps had been going down there to relieve their bladders and parked up. We got our things together and walked up the smelly stair well where upon we were greeted with an old fashioned damp smelling reception area. I checked us both in thinking that the rooms were bound to be up to good Hilton standard. On route to our room on the 4th floor we were startled to see that the corridors were littered with room service trays and stains on the carpets. When we entered the room it was

1: dimly lit
2: wall paper was peeling from the walls
3: the floor was lumpy
4: the fridge had been kicked in at the bottom
5: bed was dirty
6: a stale musty smell
7: bathroom sink was dirty and old
8: shower was useless
9: Towels were washed but stained

My experience was different to that posted above.

Upgraded to a double room, sea view suite. Only on 1st floor so a bit noisy. Nice (if shared) balcony.

I would hold back booking Brighton for a year or so until the refurbishment is done. Here's one comment from tripadvisor on the Hilton Brighton West Pier (soon to be a HI):


More than a year, it seems - interesting replies by the Revenue Manager here (why does it need the revenue manager particularily?)...

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g186273-d209233-r5612792-Holiday_Inn_Brighton_Seafront-Brighton_East_Sussex_England.html

Cheeky sods still want £101.00 for a night in late Sept, can't redeem points either. Lost all sympathy with me there, coz of that - evidently feel they can rip people off & pull the wool over everyone:rolleyes:

My experience was different to that posted above.
Upgraded to a double room, sea view suite. Only on 1st floor so a bit noisy. Nice (if shared) balcony.
Bumping an old thread on the HI Brighton Seafront as there doesn't seem to be a master thread on this property. I stayed there the other day.

It is every bit as grim inside as it appears on the outside (a brutal modern tower block with a tacky-looking ground floor restaurant) but given the excellent location and the good rates (starting at £59) this seems a reasonable tradeoff. Not somewhere for a special occasion, but then that would apply to just about every HI property I can think of :D

As a Platinum there was no upgrade and no benefits (although I've come to expect neither anyway so no surprise to me). While she was typing, the front desk clerk asked: "So, what brings you to this hotel?" I said "irony". Quick as a flash, she winked and replied: "Oh, we have those in the rooms" :) We were given a clean, fresh but small room on the 'Executive floor' (4th) which apparently boasts such luxurious extras as a leather chair, bathrobe and a minibar. I had paid £11 extra for a "partial sea view room" and got a room looking sideways over the neighbouring car park but, if you stood in the right place, you could indeed see over the air-conditioning ducts towards the sea just at the point there the old burnt-out west pier is visible in the water. The bathroom was refurbished to look like every other HI/HIX but was the smallest I have ever seen.

I also paid £10 extra for inclusive buffet breakfast for two which was about what it was worth. The hotel charges an outrageous £15 per person for this. The staff were outstandingly pleasant and obliging - table service for most items - but the self-service food was merely adequate, including the usual fry-up hot food and supermarket cereals.

Late check-out request for 2.30pm was refused but they grudgingly allowed 2pm...and called the room at 1.59pm to make sure we were on our way down.

I would stay here again (for no more than £90) but would urge anyone against paying for any kind of room advertised as having a "partial sea view" or executive benefits" as these are ridiculous. Breakfast is only worth it at the inclusive rate.

In the (rickety, old) lift there was a special offer for Priority Club members of free wine if you ordered a whole three-course meal from the restaurant: a free glass for Blue members, two free glasses for Gold and a free bottle for Platinum. I might have eaten a main course had I been offered a free drink, but three courses in that grim place for the sake of a couple of glasses of paint-stripper was a joke.

There was lots of information about local attractions and the front desk was cheery and helpful in that regard.

Short of complete demolition, I don't see how the property could physically be improved.

I saw this thread and thought just for a moment "whoopee there is going to be a new one". ah well.

And what is wrong with a dirty weekend in Brighton?

It wasn't the dirty I was hoping for ;) Or a weekend for that matter...

I have had some pretty awful experiences at older Hiltons in the UK; I hope that these aren't the dregs of Hilton's portfolio ! That said, I've had some very nice stays at newer properties like Hilton Southampton (though no AC, which is completely unacceptable at a $300/nt hotel).

Yes indeed, the HI Brighton is where I base myself during the week. I have a special deal with them, which includes breakfast for 2, reduced rate parking, and wifi.

I always get room 303 (it's huge) or room 511 (own-balcony, large king with seaview. I don't do the executive floor - complete waste of time.

The hotel works very well for me, since I travel with my wife and infant daughter, and they always make sure I have a rollaway (the pack'n'play is too low to bend over to in the middle of the night) and a refrigerator. The Hilton couldn't guarantee any of this.

The staff bend over backwards for us, and are the hotel's greatest asset. Being Kosher travellers, the only meal we eat there is breakfast. Cereal boxes are wonderful for us, since they have the Kosher logos. Most people seem content with the breakfast - the breakfast chef has been with them for many, many years. I hear that dinner is not so great (at least, a few months ago) since the chef was on the way out.

The bar used to give 30% off to plats, but now gives only 20% off.

The ecor is a little grim, the balconies aren't great (511 is good, though - wraps around a little), and there's very little that can be done about the physical building, but it works for me, and the staff really make up for a lot. If anyone has any specific questions, feel free to pm me.

The decor is a little grim, the balconies aren't great and there's very little that can be done about the physical building, but it works for me, and the staff really make up for a lot.
A very good summary.