24.11.11 New Hotel Attracts Biggest Names in UK travel

Just six weeks after opening, a new hotel at East Midlands Airport is celebrating a major business coup after being chosen to host a two day meeting of some of the biggest names in UK travel.

The new 218 room Radisson Blu Hotel East Midlands Airport hosted the Hotel Booking Agents Association’s (HBAA) autumn regional meeting on 24/25 November 2011. Members include some of the UK’s most iconic venues, including Wembley National Stadium, as well as top hotel brands such as Radisson Edwardian.

Daniel Keane, General Manager, Radisson Blu Hotel East Midlands Airport, says: “This is the icing on the cake for us. Since we opened at the end of October we’ve been bowled over by the interest in the hotel, and hosting the HBAA’s autumn meeting was a real coup for us. It’s also an opportunity for us to showcase the fantastic facilities that we have – from our luxury sauna, swimming pool and gym to the exquisite culinary delights on offer in our gourmet restaurant.

“Over 100 agent and venue members attended, representing some of the most prestigious names in the travel, hotel and leisure sector so we showed off our wonderful new building and all it has to offer to some of our most critical guests.”

The HBAA is the trade association that represents the collective interest of the parties involved in the procurement and management of conference, meetings and accommodation in the UK and internationally. It is a membership organisation consisting of over 80 booking agents and 280 venues and hotels.

Juliet Price, Chairman, HBAA, said: "We were looking for a prestigious venue to host our autumn meeting. The new Radisson Blu at East Midlands Airport is a great new venue which ticks all the boxes for location, style and facilities. It’s staffed with a team that has customer care at the forefront of their service delivery."

The association’s buying power accounts for a sizeable percentage of the UK’s business travel sector. This £2.3bn contribution means that the HBAA plays a key role as a contributor to governmental policy and is a partner to Visit Britain.

The four-star Radisson Blu Hotel East Midlands Airport hotel also offers free high speed wireless and secure, wired internet access, plus a feature wine room is available for wine tasting led by the hotel’s in-house experts. A regular shuttle bus provides passenger transfers to East Midlands Airport.

The hotel is also setting environmental standards for new hotel builds across Europe. Boasting an Energy Performance Certification rating of 2, the hotel is the most efficient in Rezidor’s portfolio of 400 hotels in operation and under development across Europe, Middle East and Africa and in the UK. Designed to the highest green credentials, its carbon neutral build supports East Midlands Airport’s aspiration for its ground operations to be carbon neutral by 2012.

The 218 roomed hotel includes:
• 8 executive suites
• Full service restaurant and bar with wine cellar
• Conferencing facilities with function suite
• Full leisure and health facilities including swimming pool, sauna and steam rooms.

The hotel's 195 Standard Rooms feature a flat-panel television, individual climate control and Free high-speed Internet access. Prices start at £99.00 per night. Fourteen Business Class Rooms include extra amenities designed for corporate guests and discerning leisure travellers. Added touches include the Super Breakfast Buffet, Nespresso® coffee machine, free pay-per-view movies, daily newspaper and Free high-speed Internet access. Prices start at £119.00 per night. The hotel also has five Junior Suites, two Senior Suites and one Presidential suite. Prices range from £149.00 per night for a Junior Suite to £209.00 per night for the Presidential Suite. Radisson Blu Hotels & Resorts currently operates 14 hotels in the UK and the new hotel at East Midlands Airport offers a range of guest, conference and celebration packages available at www.radissonblu.co.uk.