City Inn Wins Catey Award

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. October 14, 2008

LONDON, uk, JULY 12, 2005. City Inn Westminster was presented with the Group Hotel of the Year Award for 2005 sponsored by Johnson Diversey at the 22nd Annual Caterer and Hotelkeeper Awards, or 'the Cateys' as they are more affectionately known in the industry. The awards were held at Le M'eridien Grosvenor House hotel in London on Tuesday 5th July.

The vote for Group Hotel of the Year was down to what judge Andrew McKenzie, Managing Director at the Vineyard, Stockcross called "a vote for design".

A relative newcomer to the UK hotel scene, City Inn focuses on building and operating brand new contemporary styled hotels in prime city centre locations. Their first hotel opened in Bristol in 1999, with hotels in Glasgow (2000) and Birmingham (2001). The newest property in this up and coming group, City Inn Westminster opened in September 2003 and was the biggest new-build hotel in London for over 30 years. The company currently have a fifth hotel under construction in Manchester, with ambitious plans to continue its growth further.

High quality restaurants and bars, that are attractive destinations in their own right, are an essential element of the City Inn brand. In Westminster the acclaimed 200-seat City Caf'e together with the stylish and lively Millbank Lounge brought in just over lb3m in the first year of trading, with non-residents accounting for nearly half (46%) of the covers at lunch and dinner.

The hotel experiences exceptional levels of customer satisfaction, and in it's first full year of trading has performed strongly both in terms of occupancy and average room rates. Simon Johnson, Analyst at UBS Investment Bank, noted that the bar and restaurant were very popular in their own right, ensuring City Inn hotels are "not just a room factory".

"Everything they have done since Bristol has been a progression," says judge David Young, owner of the Cross at Kingussie. "Each new opening has been better, and with this hotel they have gone in and exploded the marketplace. It's very hospitality driven, not starchy or informal."

City Inn Westminster is a chic, contemporary hotel that does something different in terms of design, it delivers quality food and beverage at affordable prices. Gordon Campbell Gray, Managing Director of One Aldwych, commented that the hotel is "original, innovative and provides guests with what they want. City Inn has got guts to it. I admire it enormously. I think it has got the wow factor".

Commenting on the award David Orr Chief Executive said: "It is very pleasing for our Westminster hotel to receive another award, particularly one so prized in the industry. It is extremely flattering to receive accolades from one's peers and we are honoured to join the illustrious list of former winners. At City Inn we aim to provide a 'full service' hotel that is a stylish and contemporary alternative to the typical chain hotel. To date customer reaction to this approach has been extremely positive and receipt of this award reflects a similar reaction from our colleagues in the industry."