John Q. Hammons Hotels, Inc. to Rebrand Property under Marriott Flag; The Collins Plaza Hotel in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Undergoes Renovation as Part of Conversion.Business Editors/Travel Writers SPRINGFIELD, Mo. & CEDAR RAPIDS Cedar Rapids, city (1990 pop. 108,751), seat of Linn co., E central Iowa, on the Cedar River; inc. as a city 1856. The second largest city in Iowa, it is named for the surging rapids in the river. , Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 14, 2004 Springfield, Mo.-based John Q. Hammons John Q. Hammons (born James Quentin Hammons on February 24, 1919) is an American businessman and one of the nation's premier developers of upscale luxury hotels and resorts. With over 50 years of experience in the hotel industry, John Q. Hotels, Inc. (AMEX AMEX See: American Stock Exchange :JQH) today announced the Collins Plaza Hotel The Plaza Hotel in New York City is a landmark 19-story luxury hotel with a height of 250 feet (76 m) and length of 400 feet that (122 m) occupies the west side of Grand Army Plaza, from which it derives its name, and extends along Central Park South in Manhattan. in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, will be rebranded as the Cedar Rapids Marriott in Q3 2004. The conversion, coupled with the property's multi-million-dollar renovation, is part of John Q. Hammons Hotels' long-term strategy for continued growth in the Cedar Rapids market. The property is owned and managed by John Q. Hammons Hotels, the nation's leading independent builder, developer, owner and manager of upscale full-service hotels, resorts and suites. "The renovation and conversion to a Marriott will only strengthen the status of the hotel in the Cedar Rapids community and among travelers," said Mr. John Q. Hammons, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of John Q. Hammons Hotels, Inc. "I am confident that combining the Marriott brand with our top-notch staff and superior accommodations will continue to uphold the property's reputation as the premier hotel in the area." The hotel's renovation has focused on updating the 221 guestrooms and suites, redesigning the grand ballroom and meeting space, as well as adding a concierge level, a business center and an At Your Service center. Once the conversion is complete, additional renovations in 2005 will include upgrades to the pool area, fitness center, atrium restaurant and lobby lounge, as well as the pre-convention area. The new interiors of the hotel have a contemporary flair and are richly decorated with new artwork, wall coverings, lighting fixtures, doors, hardware, airwalls and carpet, providing one of Cedar Rapids' most elegant locations for a variety of events. A cascading four-story waterfall is the centerpiece of the tree-filled, seven-story atrium, which opens to all the guestrooms and suites. "As a John Q. Hammons Hotels property, we have always upheld the highest standards, examining every detail of our environment and operations to please each of our guests. With an outstanding reputation as the market leader, it is strategic to be aligned with a name that is top-of-mind with consumers and is synonymous with synonymous with adjective equivalent to, the same as, identical to, similar to, identified with, equal to, tantamount to, interchangeable with, one and the same as first-class service and standards," said Fred Jones This article is about the basketball player. For other people with the same name, see Fred Jones (disambiguation). Frederick (Fred) Terrell Jones (born March 11 1979) is an American professional basketball player who plays at the shooting guard position for , general manager of the Collins Plaza Hotel. "Converting our hotel to a Marriott continues our tradition of providing guests with unrivaled service and accommodations. It's with great pride that we are soon to be part of the Marriott family." Property Information The Collins Plaza Hotel, located off of I-380 at 1200 Collins Road, is just minutes from downtown and the Municipal Airport. The property offers a variety of amenities in each of its guestrooms and suites, including in-room coffee service, hair dryer, iron and board, in-room movies, alarm clock radio, high-speed Internet See broadband. access, cable television, and a free newspaper. The hotel's well-appointed, two-room presidential, king leisure and executive suites feature additional amenities, including a wet bar and refrigerator. The hotel also offers complimentary parking and shuttle service, laundry/valet services, a gift shop, as well as an exercise room, spa, dry sauna and an indoor heated pool. Additionally, guests can enjoy the casual open-air ambiance am·bi·ance also am·bi·ence n. The special atmosphere or mood created by a particular environment: "The noir ambience is dominated by low-key lighting . . . at the hotel's Park Place Restaurant, which features a Sunday champagne brunch, or cocktails at Beethoven's Lounge. With 17,775 square feet of flexible meeting space and a professional staff available for all convention and meeting needs, the Collins Plaza Hotel is an ideal location for a variety of corporate meetings, banquets and events. The meeting space is equipped with flexible baffled walls for numerous room configurations, microphone jacks, hospitality suites, a public address system, as well as state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment. The hotel is conveniently located to major industries, local shopping and tourist areas such as The Amana Colonies The Amana Colonies are a group of settlements of German Pietists in Iowa comprising seven villages. Calling themselves the Ebenezer Society or the Community of True Inspiration, die Gemeinde der wahren Inspiration -- Iowa's number one visitor attraction. To make a hotel reservation or to book a group function, contact the hotel at 319-393-6600 or contact your travel agent. Travelers also can visit the hotel's Web site at www.collinsplazahotel.com. Company Information Marriott International Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR) is a worldwide operator and franchisor of a range of value and luxury hotels and related lodging facilities. Marriott currently has 2,300 accommodation properties in North America alone. , Inc. Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :MAR) is a leading worldwide hospitality company with over 2,700 lodging properties in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. and 67 other countries and territories. Marriott International operates and franchises hotels under the Marriott, JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Residence Inn, Courtyard, TownePlace Suites, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites and Ramada International brand names; develops and operates vacation ownership resorts under the Marriott Vacation Club International  This article or section is written like an .Please help [ rewrite this article] from a neutral point of view. Mark blatant advertising for , using . , Horizons, The Ritz-Carlton Club and Marriott Grand Residence Club brands; operates Marriott Executive Apartments; provides furnished corporate housing through its Marriott ExecuStay division; and operates conference centers. Marriott is also in the synthetic fuel business. The company is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has approximately 128,000 employees. In fiscal year 2003, Marriott International reported sales from continuing operations continuing operations Parts of a business that are expected to be maintained as an ongoing segment of an overall business operation. Income and losses from continuing operations are reported separately if any segments have been discontinued during the of $9 billion. For more information or reservations, please visit our web site at www.marriott.com. John Q. Hammons Hotels, Inc. Publicly traded on the American Stock Exchange American Stock Exchange (AMEX) Stock exchange in the U.S. Originally known as “the Curb,” it began as an outdoor marketplace in New York City c. 1850. It moved indoors to its present location in the Wall Street area in 1921. (AMEX:JQH), Springfield, Mo.-based John Q. Hammons Hotels is the nation's leading independent builder, developer, owner and manager of upscale, full-service hotels, resorts and suites, including: Embassy Suites Hotel, Renaissance, Marriott, Radisson, Residence Inn, Homewood Suites, Holiday Inn and Courtyard by Marriott Courtyard by Marriott is a brand of hotels owned by Marriott International. They have over 2,800 hotels worldwide, as of June 2007. Courtyard by Marriott is designed for business travelers. brands. With 60 hotels strategically located near demand generators, such as state capitals, universities, airports, corporate headquarters or office parks in secondary and tertiary markets, John Q. Hammons Hotels' properties are dominant in their markets. The company's focus is capitalizing on positive operating fundamentals in the upscale, full-service sector, converting existing hotels to franchise brands and selling mature assets, while reinvesting the proceeds and reducing debt. Over the course of his impressive career in the hotel business, Mr. Hammons has developed 150 hotels. For more information about John Q. Hammons Hotels, please visit the company's Web site at www.jqhhotels.com. |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion