Crowne Plaza is a British-American multinational chain of full service, upscale hotels headquartered in the United Kingdom. It caters to the business, leisure and blended travel market usually located in city centers, resorts, coastal towns or near major airports. The brand is part of IHG Hotels & Resorts family of brands, which include InterContinental Hotels & Resorts and Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts, and operates in nearly 100 countries with more than 400 hotels and 110,000 bedrooms,[1]
Crowne Plaza was established in 1983 as a breakout brand formed as the upscale sister brand to Holiday Inn.[2] The first Crowne Plaza by Holiday Inn hotel opened that year in Rockville, Maryland.[3] In 1988, Bass PLC (today InterContinental Hotels Group) purchased Holiday Corporation and in 1994 the brand was renamed Crowne Plaza Hotels.[4] In 1999, Crowne Plaza opened its first European property, in Madeira, Portugal.[5]
