Ribbon Cut On London 2012 Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn, Official Hotel Provider to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, has marked the opening of its two new flagship hotels overlooking the Olympic Park with the signing of ribbon gymnast Frankie Jones.
Great Britain’s leading ribbon gymnast created a special routine for the official opening of two new hotels – Holiday Inn and Staybridge Suites London – Stratford City, right in the heart of Stratford.
The hotels in Westfield are open in time for the Games, and have also boast stunning views of the Olympic Park.
To celebrate the opening, the five times British Champion performed a routine alongside Olympic gold medallist Denise Lewis.
The sport of rhythmic gymnastics sees individuals or teams compete with one or more of the following – ribbons, hoops, balls, ropes or clubs.
Denise Lewis said: ‘Meeting Frankie today will be a brilliant experience and it will be fascinating to see one of our best rhythmic gymnasts in action. As one of Team GB’s Olympic hopefuls it’s exciting to hear about Frankie’s preparations, coupled with seeing the area come to life. The views from the hotel are incredible and give a sneak preview to guests of the action and excitement to come this summer.’
Angela Brav, chief executive of Europe at InterContinental Hotels Group, added: ‘Outside the Olympic Park itself, our two new hotels represent the best seats in the house for London 2012. You really couldn’t get much closer to the action. The opening of these two new hotels also sees IHG pass a significant milestone, we now have over 40,000 hotel rooms in the UK.’
Holiday Inn is also helping to run the Olympic village, bringing in 90 staff from around the world to manage the complex.
Over 17,000 athletes and officials will be staying during Games-time and Holiday Inn is flying in staff from places including China, Australia, Serbia, the US and Europe.
British 400m sprinter Nicola Sanders, told SportIndustry.biz exclusively: ‘The fact Holiday Inn will be there looking after us is fantastic. In the past I’ve had back problems so having a comfy bed is essential. At the World Championships in Dauegu I had to go out and buy a foam mattress because I couldn’t sleep. It’s hard enough to sleep before a competition as it is so to know that we will have someone there to take care of these problems if and when we have them is great.’
800m runner Jemma Simpson, explained to SportIndustry.biz the importance of having a team atmosphere around the Games: ‘As much as it is an individual sport, it is a shared experience, you’re part of a team. It’s not just the athletes, there’s the physios, the sponsors and other people that bring it together, and Holiday Inn play a huge part in that because they are helping us, as part of our extended team.’
