An agreement was signed to manage a new-build 500-room hotel under the brand in Danang, Vietnam. Developed by Hoangdat Silver Shores Exceptional International Entertainment Joint Venture Company, Crowne Plaza Danang is slated to open in early 2009.

 

Situated along the prime beachfront district of Ngu Hanh Son, Crowne Plaza Danang will be 15 minutes south of Danang International Airport and the city centre. The US$ 52 million development will have panoramic views of China Beach and enjoy easy access to UNESCO-listed World Heritage sites, including the Marble Mountains, My Son Valley, Vietnam's former Imperial City of Hue and Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park.

 

As the country's fourth largest city and third largest commercial port, Danang plays a key strategic role as the economic, cultural and tourism hub of central Vietnam. The Danang Tourism Department targets to receive two million tourists annually by 2010, on the back of significant anticipated growth in business travel and MICE traffic. In line with this positive outlook, the tourism department is also planning to further develop the city's entertainment and shopping, as well as the industrial and commercial zones in the surrounding regions.

 

Jan Smits, chief operating officer, Southern Asia and Korea, InterContinental Hotels Group, said: "We are tapping into the vibrant Vietnamese economy which has distinguished itself as one of the key Southeast Asian economies to watch. Danang is a city in which this economic momentum is very much apparent. Its central location, with links to the capital city of Hanoi in the north and Ho Chi Minh in the south, also makes it a strategic address for our very first Crowne Plaza in Vietnam."

 

Hoang Hai, director-general of Hoangdat Silver Shores Exceptional International Entertainment Joint Venture Company, said: "We are privileged to partner with the world's most global hotel company. This strategic alliance with InterContinental Hotels Group strengthens our position to make a positive impact on the development of tourism in Danang and Vietnam. Backed by the Group's expertise and worldwide resources, we are confident that Crowne Plaza Danang will more than meet the expectations of the growing number of travelers to this busy seaport city."