Wyndham Garden to become Crowne Plaza

[tennreb]

Intercontinental is turning the Wyndham Garden downtown into a Crowne Plaza. This is great news. The Wyndham Garden is a really bad hotel. Crowne Plaza isn't quite a Westin, but they are good hotels. I love the Astor Crowne Plaza in New Orleans.

[northernbizzkit1]

This will be nice! I hate that the Wyndham Garden was never spruced up to be a true Wyndham hotel, but it will be good to see the Crowne Plaza moniker return to Memphis.

[Fellowmann20]

Where is Wnydham Garden located downtown?

[jmduke]

The Wyndham Garden is between 2nd and 3rd streets across from the Marriott. Its north side faces I-40. Anyone know whether the hotel will be purchased/operated by a franchisee or by Intercontinental Hotels Group? I couldn't really tell from the MBJ article. Having the Crowne Plaza logo facing I-40 will be a bit of a boost in prestige.

[crabbj]

Wasn't The Marriott once a Crowne Plaza in the mid to late 80s/early 90s? I stayed in that hotel in 1987 and I am pretty sure that's what it used to be. That's ironic to be so close to the other building.

[jmduke]

The current Marriott started life as a Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza in the 80s back when the Crowne Plaza label was affixed to larger, higher-end Holiday Inn hotels. In 1994, Bass PLC/Intercontinental Hotels Group (owner of the Holiday Inn brand) took the Crowne Plaza designation off the higher end HI's and made it a stand-alone upscale brand between Holiday Inn (and HI-Select) and Intercontinental.

[James Owen]

The current Marriott started life as a Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza in the 80s back when the Crowne Plaza label was affixed to larger, higher-end Holiday Inn hotels. In 1994, Bass PLC/Intercontinental Hotels Group (owner of the Holiday Inn brand) took the Crowne Plaza designation off the higher end HI's and made it a stand-alone upscale brand between Holiday Inn (and HI-Select) and Intercontinental.

[skirby]

Wow, I didn't even know that. I guess that's also the reason why the Crowne Plaza in Nashville became a Sheraton hotel around the same time, because I remember staying over there twice in the mid-90s.

Come to think of it, you don't often see the Crowne Plaza moniker used around these parts lately.

[jmduke]

MBJ has the details: http://memphis.bizjournals.com/memphis/sto...7905600^1452985

[theman]

The downtown Memphis hotel market is just getting stronger with this announcement, the recent opening of the Westin and the recent announcement of a Hyatt Regency coming to One Beale.

[crabbj]

Wow, I didn't even know that. I guess that's also the reason why the Crowne Plaza in Nashville became a Sheraton hotel around the same time, because I remember staying over there twice in the mid-90s.

Come to think of it, you don't often see the Crowne Plaza moniker used around these parts lately.