Newly Built 119-room Staybridge Suites St. Petersburg Opens in Florida
St. Petersburg, FL - May 5, 2014 - InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG®) today celebrates the grand opening of the Staybridge Suites® St. Petersburg hotel. The new 119-room property is the first Staybridge Suites hotel in the city of St. Petersburg, and the second for the brand in the greater Tampa Bay Area.
"The Staybridge Suites St. Petersburg is the first new build hotel to open in the downtown St. Petersburg area in over a decade, so today's grand opening celebration is exciting not just for us, but for the entire community," said Robert Radomski, vice president, Brand Management, Staybridge Suites® and Candlewood Suites® brands. "The high-quality service and amenities the Staybridge Suites brand provides create a sense of community and a truly social environment extended stay guests desire. We know travelers to the area will feel at home when staying at the property."
The new all-suite hotel features well-designed and spacious studio and one-bedroom suites. All suites feature a comfortable living space including a fully equipped kitchen, flatscreen TV with a DVD player, and a functional, well-lit workspace with a large desk. The Staybridge Suites St. Petersburg hotel features 4,000 square feet of event space, including a 2,200 square foot ballroom with floor-to-ceiling windows.
The new property is located four blocks from Tropicana Field and just minutes from All Children's Hospital, the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, Duke Energy and attractions including the Chihuly Collection and The Dal' Museum.
Consistent with the Staybridge Suites brand, the new property offers exceptional home-like surroundings including daily complimentary hot breakfast featuring Wolfgang Puck coffee, complimentary Laundry Room and Fitness Room, a complimentary 24-hour Business Center, as well as The Pantry, the hotel's 24-hour convenience store stocked with snacks, sundries, beverages and easy-to-prepare meals. Additionally, guests at the Staybridge Suites St. Petersburg can get Internet connectivity throughout the hotel with free Wireless Anywhere.
Guests can enjoy themselves at The Social evening reception, held each Tuesday through Thursday in the hotel's Great Room and 1,800 square foot landscaped Outdoor Living Room. During The Social, travelers can relax with fellow guests and the hotel's team and casually dine on customizable, "build-your-own" entrees and complimentary beer and wine. During breakfast and The Social, guests can congregate around the Gathering Table, which is located in the Great Room. The bar-height, granite-topped island is surrounded by comfortable seating that encourages guests to interact and relax as they would around their kitchen table or bar at home.
Located near St. Petersburg's thriving downtown arts district, the hotel team is proud to celebrate the work of artists within the community. The property features a glass display from the Morean Arts Center and a rotating selection of works from local artists such as Timothy Raines and Bassmi Ibrahim.
"It's about choosing the right brand for the right market," said Anthony Menna, president, Menna Development & Management, Inc. "The city of St. Petersburg needed a hotel brand to match its exciting and dynamic atmosphere, and the Staybridge Suites brand does just that. I have the highest respect for IHG and have been affiliated with them in the past. They are a terrific franchiser to work with and be a part of."
The scale and diversity of the IHG family of brands means that our hotels can meet our guests' needs whatever the occasion. All Staybridge Suites hotels participate in IHG's guest loyalty program, IHG Rewards® Club, which is the industry's first and largest hotel rewards program with over 77 million members. Membership is free and guests can enroll at IHGRewardsClub.com, by downloading the IHG® app, by calling 1-888-211-9874 or by inquiring at the front desk of any of IHG's more than 4,700 hotels worldwide.
The Staybridge Suites St. Petersburg, owned and managed by Menna Development & Management, Inc., is franchised by an affiliate of IHG and is located at 940 5th Avenue South; telephone: 727.821.0777.
About Staybridge Suites Hotels
Staybridge Suites® is an innovative, all-suite hotel brand designed to meet the needs of extended stay guests seeking a warm sense of community in a home-like environment that is perfect for business, relocation and vacations. The Staybridge Suites brand entered the extended stay segment in December 1998 when its flagship location in Alpharetta, Ga., opened. Since that opening, the Staybridge Suites brand continues to grow rapidly with more than 196 hotels open across the Americas, Europe and the Middle East. There are more than 80 Staybridge Suites hotels in the pipeline, including nine outside of the Americas.
The Staybridge Suites brand is the winner of numerous awards in guest satisfaction and was named as one of the 'Top 10 Brands in Customer Satisfaction' globally by Market Metrix Hospitality Index (MMHI) in Q3 and Q4 2013. The brand was named as a J.D. Power 2014 Customer Champion, one of an elite group of 50 U.S. companies named to the list.
For more information about the Staybridge Suites brand, call 1-877-238-8889 or visit www.StaybridgeSuites.com. Find Staybridge Suites hotels on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Staybridge or Facebook www.Facebook.com/StaybridgeSuites.
About IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group)
IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global organisation with a broad portfolio of nine hotel brands, including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo®, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites®, Candlewood Suites®, EVEN™ Hotels and HUALUXE™ Hotels & Resorts.
IHG manages IHG® Rewards Club, the world's first and largest hotel loyalty programme with over 77 million members worldwide. The programme was relaunched in July 2013, offering enhanced benefits for members including free internet across all hotels, globally.
IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns over 4,700 hotels and 687,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories. With more than 1,100 hotels in its development pipeline, IHG expects to recruit around 90,000 people into additional roles across its estate over the next few years.
InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Group's holding company and is incorporated in Great Britain and registered in England and Wales.
Visit www.ihg.com for hotel information and reservations and www.ihgrewardsclub.com for more on IHG Rewards Club. For our latest news, visit: www.ihg.com/media, www.twitter.com/ihg, www.facebook.com/ihg or www.youtube.com/ihgplc.
Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is a global leading lodging company based in Bethesda,Maryland, USA, with more than 4,200 properties in 80 countries and territories. Marriott International reported revenues of nearly $14 billion in fiscal year 2014. The company operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts under 19 brands, including: The Ritz-Carlton®, BVlgari®, EDITION®, JW Marriott®, Autograph Collection® Hotels, Renaissance® Hotels, Marriott Hotels®, Delta Hotels and Resorts®, Marriott Executive Apartments®, Marriott Vacation Club®, Gaylord Hotels®, AC Hotels by Marriott®, Courtyard®, Residence Inn®, SpringHill Suites®, Fairfield Inn & Suites®, TownePlace Suites®, Protea Hotels® and MoxyHotels®. Marriott has been consistently recognized as a top employer and for its superior business ethics. The company also manages the award-winning guest loyalty program, Marriott Rewards® and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards® program, which together surpass 50 million members. For more information or reservations, please visit our website at 
