ITT Sheraton makes multi-million investment in NYC hotels.

ITT Sheraton Will soon launch the next level of a $25 to 30 million investment in its New York City properties. The plan combines new construction, new lodging concepts, and top-of-the-line technology, creating an unparalleled range of services and facilities for the business traveler.

Two leading Sheraton properties - the Sheraton Russell (formerly the Sheraton Park Avenue) and the Sheraton Manhattan will be totally renovated and repositioned as ITT Sheraton's first and second all-corporate club hotels. Plans also include construction of a stand-alone Executive Conference Center at the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers. The Executive Conference Center "will set new standards in technological sophistication and will be the most advanced meeting facility in Manhattan open to the public," according to a company spokesman.

With the completion of this phase of the ITT Sheraton plan, New York will offer the widest spectrum of centralized business services and accommodations in the U.S. "Virtually no American city can offer this level and variety of business services under one brand," says Paul O'Neil, president, Sheraton Hotels of New York. "Individual executive travelers, meeting and corporate travel planners can find a range of price, accommodation and technology with one phone call."

O'Neil notes that conference planners can house attendees, in effect, under one roof. "We can provide three tiers of accommodations," he asserts. "The exclusive Sheraton Towers, a deluxe hotel within a hotel, is ideal for senior management or VIP guests. The Corporate Club serves high-level executives and the standard rooms at the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers can accommodate over 1,000 conference attendees."

New York, New York

New York is seen as the ideal city in which to launch the new business travel concept. New York's cultural and fiscal renaissance, marked by new construction and soaring financial markets, have made the city an international magnet for business travelers - a trend that ITT Sheraton sees continuing well into the millennium.

Most significantly, the metropolis provides an ideal proving ground for new ideas and cutting-edge concepts. "New York's high global profile, dynamic business culture and intensified demand for the most advanced communications services, make it the ideal place for us to launch these concepts," O'Neil says.

Expanding the Sheraton Corporate Club Room Concept

The highly successful Sheraton Corporate Club Room concept will be significantly expanded, as both the Sheraton Russell (formerly the Sheraton Park Avenue) and the Sheraton Manhattan re-emerge as the first all-business hotels in the ITT Sheraton group. Facilities which were once offered on a few exclusive floors will now be provided throughout these hotels. Both properties will be entirely devoted to the business traveler, with guest rooms specifically designed in response to extensive customer research.

"Our 'Room of the Future' survey identified those factors which business travelers found most important in a hotel room," says O'Neil. "We have created a total working environment, with a flexible workspace, and the most current technology that travelers request."

All guest rooms will feature oversized desks, ergonomic desk chairs, in-room data ports, dual telephone lines, enhanced lighting and the Hewlett-Packard OfficeJet printer/fax/copiers. Value-added Sheraton Corporate Club amenities include complimentary continental breakfast buffet and evening hors d'oeuvres in the Corporate Club Lounge, free local telephone calls and free access to long distance carriers, voice mail, irons and ironing boards, USA Today and Wall Street Journal newspapers five days a week, terry robes and coffee makers with complimentary Starbuck's coffee.

The Sheraton Park Avenue at 37th Street is currently closed for the sweeping renovation that will also add a new fitness room. This intimate, European-style hotel will reopen in May 1997 as the Sheraton Russell Hotel with 146 Corporate Club guestrooms, including 23 suites with two penthouse suites.

The Sheraton Manhattan is located on 52nd Street at Seventh Avenue, directly across from the 1750-room Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers. The 650-room property will be closed during the renovation program at the end of June. The hotel will re-emerge as ITT Sheraton's second all Corporate Club hotel on August 2nd.

New York's Most Advanced Conference Center

At the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers, a new Executive Conference Center is under construction with a scheduled September opening. This completely self-contained conference facility will bring new dimensions to New York's meetings industry. With 25,000 square feet of space, the Executive Conference Center will combine the most advanced meetings technology with highly personalized conference services.

The Executive Conference Center is designed to meet the demands of the most technologically elite companies, with state-of-the-art video conferencing, projection, AV and data capabilities. The Center will also showcase ITT Sheraton's "Event Concierge" concept in conference servicing. Available throughout the meeting, the support staff will provide a range of services to conference planners and meetings attendees, including photocopying, faxing, taking messages and providing directions, signage and supplies.

"It's the perfect combination of high-tech and high-touch," says O'Neil, noting that the center will meet the needs of guests who are technically-oriented while providing any needed assistance for clients who may not have access to cutting edge technology.