Natal, capital of Rio Grande do Norte, was the city chosen by the InterContinental Hotels Group chain, IHG, to open since December 2007, the Holiday Inn Express Natal, a hotel that has 160 rooms. Located in the northeast of Brazil and with an approximate population of 800 thousand inhabitants, Natal is considered one of the best tourist destinations in the Carioca country. The hotel located exactly on the beach of Ponta Negra is managed by Praiamar Empreendimentos Turísticos Ltda, under a license according to IHG. "We are very happy to have this company as part of the IHG family, we want to do business with them later," said Alvaro Diago, IHG President for Latin America.Within its facilities the hotel has an outdoor pool, recreation area, fitness center and a small shopping and business center. Likewise, it stands out for having state-of-the-art technology that consists of the use of computerized sensors that control humidity levels, temperature, lighting and air conditioning.
The hotel also designed for business travelers, offers a fresh and uncomplicated atmosphere. It also offers the customer priority Club Rewards, a program that rewards loyalty and is considered the fastest growing with about 37 million members.
"The opening of this hotel becomes the 15th property in Brazil. In this way we seek the growth of our brand in important cities such as Natal, which has imposing and natural surroundings next to a growing metropolitan area," said Diago.
Choosing Natal as the place where the hotel would settle was not an unjustified decision, as the city has dunes several feet high that rest on the coast. In this way, it makes it the perfect setting to enjoy different activities including sand skiing and camel rides, among others.
"We are proud to open the hotel together with IHG, a hotel company recognized globally for its standards of sophistication and being a first-class brand. We are sure that with the excellent location and affiliation to a globally renowned brand, as well as modern, we will enjoy a lot of successes.", said Francisco Caninde Abdori Gosson, president of Praiamar Empreendimentos Turisticos Ltda.
For its part, the city of Natal, which in Spanish means Christmas, received the name based on its founding date: December 1599. Likewise, it offers the visitor a high historical content, as it preserves buildings dating from the seventeenth century, including the Fortress of Wise Kings, whose construction lasted about 30 years.
The IHG brand, which has served Latin America for more than 60 years, has nearly 1700 hotels around the world. By the end of 2008 he plans to open the Holiday Inn Express Quito hotels in Ecuador, Holiday Inn Express San Jose –Forum in Costa Rica, and the Holiday Inn Express Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.
