Media Contact:
Cary Alden
504-834-7517, caldenpr@cox.net

DON ZIMMER RETURNS TO ASTOR CROWNE PLAZA AS NEW DIRECTOR OF SALES & MARKETING

NEW ORLEANS, February 11, 2008 – Don Zimmer, a local veteran of the hospitality industry, has re-joined the stately Astor Crowne Plaza as director of sales & marketing.

Mr. Zimmer, who was director of sales & marketing for the hotel from May 2001 to May 2005, brings over twenty-six years of hospitality industry experience to the 707 room hotel known for its true New Orleans hospitality, exclusive executive accommodations, personalized services, and exceptional location at the gateway to the French Quarter.

“We are extremely pleased to have Don on our team again,” said Bruce Perone, general manager of the Astor Crowne Plaza. “He was a tremendous leader and a valuable asset to the hotel. We are fortunate to have him back.”

Mr. Zimmer comes to the Astor from the Omni Royal Orleans where he was director of marketing. He previously served as director of sales for the Radisson Hotel New Orleans and the director of sales & marketing for the Embassy Suites Hotel in Baton Rouge. Mr. Zimmer’s extensive career also includes positions in sales for the Hyatt Regency New Orleans, the Sheraton New Orleans and Le Pavillon Hotel New Orleans.

A native of New Orleans, Mr. Zimmer attended Louisiana State University and the University of New Orleans. He is active in the hospitality industry and is a member of Professional Conference Management Association and Meeting Planners International.

Built in 2002, the Astor Crowne Plaza is a AAA Three Diamond hotel strategically located at the corner of Bourbon and Canal streets. Conveniently located in the heart of downtown and at the French Quarter’s edge, the address also serves as home to Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House restaurant, one of the most popular dining establishments in New Orleans. Part of the collection of InterContinental Hotels Group PLC and managed by Dallas-based Prism Hotels & Resorts, the hotel offers 30,000 square feet of meeting space, outdoor balconies overlooking Bourbon, Canal and Iberville streets, as well as 10,500 square feet of ground floor retail space on Canal Street.

About Prism Hotels & Resorts
Dallas-based Prism Hotels & Resorts is one of the fastest growing full-service hotel investment, management and development companies in the United States. The company currently manages more than 5,000 rooms for multiple owners in the 11 states and the Caribbean. For more information, please visit www.prismhotels.com.

About InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (IHG)
InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (IHG) is one of the world’s largest hotel groups by number of rooms. IHG owns, manages, leases or franchises, through various subsidiaries, over 3,800 hotels and more than 571,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories around the world. IGH owns a portfolio of well recognized and respected hotel brands including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotrels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites®, Candlewood Suites® and Hotel Indigo®, and also manages the world’s largest hotel loyalty program, Priority Club Rewards with over 37 million members worldwide. The company pioneered the travel industry’s first collaborative response to environmental issues as founder of the International Hotels and Environment Initiative (IHEI). The IHEI formed the foundations of the Tourism Partnership launched by the International Business Leaders Forum in 2004, of which IHG is still a member today. The environment and local communities remain at the heart of IHG’s global corporate responsibility focus. IHG offers information and online reservations for all its hotel brands at http://www.ihg.com and information for the Priority Club Rewards program at http://www.priorityclub.com

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739 Canal at Bourbon Street
New Orleans, LA. 70130