Under guidance of national sleep expert, upscale hotel brand to introduce new sleep experience.

Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts, part of InterContinental Hotels Group, today announced that it will strengthen its claim as "The Place To Meet" by providing all guests, including meeting attendees, with an optimal sleep experience.

The Crowne Plaza sleep experience, which will be developed under the guidance of Dr. Michael Breus Ph.D., diplomat of the American Board of Sleep Medicine and co-founder of Sound Sleep LLC, will be rolled out at all hotels in North America by Spring 2004. The Crowne Plaza sleep experience will include:

- New bedding – Each guestroom will feature new bedding offering a comfortable and luxurious sleep experience for guests.
- Bedside sleep guides – A series of tools will help guests uncover information about their individual sleep habits and also recommend sleep tips.
- Quiet zones – Designated areas of each hotel will be identified as quiet zones where guests can enjoy a peaceful and serene environment.
- Sleeping amenities – Crowne Plaza will offer sleep-enhancing items such as ear plugs and eye masks.
- Guaranteed wake-up calls – There will be no need for guests to lose sleep over their morning wake-up call.

"Last year we introduced Crowne Plaza as 'The Place To Meet' and today meeting planners continue to choose our brand because we are effectively catering to the needs of small to mid-sized meetings," said Kevin Kowalski, Vice President of Brand Management, Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts, North America. "Now, we need to focus on giving attendees a great sleep experience so they will return to Crowne Plaza for their individual business and leisure travel occasions."

According to the National Sleep Foundation, an overwhelming majority of travelers report they do not receive enough sleep while away from home. Specifically, the National Sleep Foundation details two common causes for sleep deficiencies while traveling:

- First Night Effect, which occurs when trying to sleep in an unfamiliar or uncomfortable environment and
- On-Call Effect, which occurs due to a constant worry that something is destined to disturb sleep.

To help guests overcome these sleeping deficiencies, Dr. Breus will play an integral role in guiding the development of the new sleep experience. "By recognizing and addressing the importance of the overall sleep experience, Crowne Plaza is seizing the opportunity to help make its guests more productive during their waking hours," said Dr. Breus.