The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (Locog) has announced Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express as the ‘Official Hotel Services Provider to London 2012’ and a Tier Three commercial partner.

Holiday Inn, part of InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), will provide Locog with additional capability and expertise in the accommodation sector, supplying experienced personnel to assist in the planning and operation of the athletes’ village.

Currently undergoing a £600 million ($981 million) global relaunch, Holiday Inn will supply team members to work with Locog’s accommodation and protocol teams in the lead up to the Olympic Games in 2012.

Holiday Inn, along with other hotels in the IHG stable, will also provide accommodation and meeting rooms for Locog and its partners as it builds towards the Games.

“Providing a smooth customer experience for athletes, spectators and dignitaries throughout their time at the Games can be a key challenge for any organising committee,” said Lord Sebastian Coe, London 2012 chairman.

“For us to have Holiday Inn join our family provides us with another great pool of knowledge and skills to ensure that all of those attending the Games, whether from within the UK or from abroad, as competitors or spectators, will have an enjoyable and memorable experience. The global expertise of Holiday Inn in welcoming visitors and meeting customer needs will be vital between now and 2012.”

Andy Cosslett, CEO, IHG said: “With the £600 million relaunch of Holiday Inn well underway, being selected to welcome guests from LOCOG and its partner organisations to our hotels is perfect timing.”

“Just like the world class sportsmen and women who will stay in the Athletes Village, we’ll bring our own world class team to Stratford to make life as easy as possible for the athletes so they focus on the task in hand – competing and winning medals,” Cosslett added. – TradeArabia News Service