PRESS RELEASE: The Arora Ballroom at InterContinental® London - The O2 Attracts Large-Scale Award Ceremonies and Banquets ahead of Opening
The InterContinental London - The O2 - opening on the Greenwich Peninsula winter 2015, is attracting large scale award ceremonies and corporate events to its colossal Arora Ballroom, underlining its position as one of the most anticipated new London banqueting venues to open in the capital for several years.
Located within a dedicated 4,500sqm conference centre as part of the luxury new hotel, the 3,100sqm pillar-free ballroom - just shy of a standard full size football pitch - boasts a 7.2m height ceiling and 1,500sqm wall-to-wall glass pre-function space for pre-event receptions, making it the ideal venue for glittering events and corporate celebrations.
The space in and around the ballroom has been meticulously designed to feature level access to extensive, fully-equipped kitchens across an impressive 4m deep x 75m wide corridor that can comfortably act as a pass during a 3,000+ guest service, with 300 employees serving 9,000 dishes to guests in under 1.5 hours.
In addition, The Arora Ballroom can be divided into multiple configurations, yet split directly in half it can comfortably accommodate events for up to 1500+ guests for seated banquets in each section. Designed with fully sound-proofed walls installed with ample space in between the flexible divide, each half of the ballroom - known as East and West London - features self-contained access via separate escalators and lifts, private entrance and dedicated cloakroom facilities along with access to a separate kitchen to allow for two large events to run simultaneously with complete privacy.
Equipped with state-of-the art lighting and sound technology, and offering super-fast free Wi-Fi for up to 5,000 guests at a time, The Arora Ballroom is supported by an additional 19 multi-purpose function rooms, an event organisers office and a 400sqm outdoor space directly in front of the river Thames for event showcases and marquees for additional reception space.
Hasham Soliman, General Manager of the InterContinental London - The O2 commented, “We are proud to be bringing an all-new - and much needed - award ceremony and banqueting space to this vibrant area of London which, given its quick access into central London in 12-15 minutes and just 6 miles from London City Airport, is fast becoming a micro events destination in its own right.”
He added, “Our conference centre has been purpose-built for these types of events so we're delighted with the interest; each detail in its construction and design, and our service delivery, has been meticulously planned for us to provide a new first-class venue for event organisers with seamless service for in excess of 3,000 guests at a time, something our capital needs to continue to compete on the world's events stage.”
Viola Ncube, Director of Sales & Marketing at InterContinental London - The O2 added, “The response to the hotel from event organisers and meeting planners has been extremely positive, with over 500 enquiries to date and 145 events either contracted or under negotiation for the next 24 months from mainly IT, pharmaceutical, publishing, wedding, charity, financial and automotive sectors so we're firmly on track with expectations.''
The hotel is working in partnership with the Emirates Airline cable car to extend its opening hours for large groups travelling to and from the hotel and ExCeL London exhibition centre, and the proposed extended hours of the Jubilee Line on the London Underground at weekend further supports its position as a welcome new venue choice for large scale events in London.
The 18 storey InterContinental London - The O2 is located next to The O2 and just 400m from North Greenwich tube and Greenwich Pier for fast access into Central London and Canary Wharf. In addition to its conference centre, the hotel features a fine dining and all-day dining restaurant, central bar with Tea Salon, glamorous Sky Bar with panoramic views, a luxury spa with a 17m indoor swimming pool and eight treatment rooms.
-Ends- For more information please contact Davies Tanner - +44 (0)1892 617909 [email protected] | [email protected] | [email protected]
Notes to Editors InterContinental® London - The O2 is an 18-storey luxury hotel featuring 453 spacious guest rooms - including 50 suites - as well as a 4,500sqm+ dedicated conference centre with a 3,100sqm pillar-free ballroom (the largest single event space in any European hotel) and 1,600sqm pre-function space overlooking the river Thames. Situated only 400m from North Greenwich Tube Station on the Jubilee Line and only a 5 minute walk from Greenwich Pier, the Intercontinental is perfectly connected to London's West End. The infamous O2 arena adjoins the hotel via a covered walkway, as well as being minutes from ExCel London on the Emirates Airline cable car.
The InterContinental London - The O2 is managed and operated by The Arora Group under a franchise agreement with InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG®). www.iclondon-theo2.com - @InterConTheO2
The Arora Group
One of the UK's fastest growing privately-owned property companies, The Arora Group has made a name for itself through the design, construction and operation of luxury hotels, with exceptional levels of hospitality. Since its inception in 1999 the Group has diversified into other specialisms including Property and Construction.
The Arora Hotels division portfolio of 7 hotels comprises 2,920 bedrooms and 120 meeting rooms including Sofitel London Heathrow Terminal 5 and Sofitel London Gatwick (under a franchise agreement with Accor), Renaissance London Heathrow (under a franchise agreement with Marriott), Holiday Inn Heathrow Terminal 5 (under a franchise agreement with IHG), the Arora Hotel Gatwick/Crawley, Savill Court Hotel & Spa near Windsor and the forthcoming InterContinental® London - The O2, to be operated under a franchise agreement with InterContinental® Hotels Group (IHG) opening winter 2015.
The property division of The Arora Group - Arora Property - is involved in property asset and facilities management of a portfolio of landmark commercial buildings at strategic locations in London and provincial UK. The company also fulfils a Managing Agent role at Charters, one of the UK's most exclusive residential developments.
The construction division, trading as Grove Developments specialises in commercial, residential and hospitality projects including the 453 bedroom InterContinental® London - The O2 and the adjacent Peninsula Tower. Grove Developments also manages design and build projects for external clients.
www.thearoragroup.com
Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is a global leading lodging company based in Bethesda,Maryland, USA, with more than 4,200 properties in 80 countries and territories. Marriott International reported revenues of nearly $14 billion in fiscal year 2014. The company operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts under 19 brands, including: The Ritz-Carlton®, BVlgari®, EDITION®, JW Marriott®, Autograph Collection® Hotels, Renaissance® Hotels, Marriott Hotels®, Delta Hotels and Resorts®, Marriott Executive Apartments®, Marriott Vacation Club®, Gaylord Hotels®, AC Hotels by Marriott®, Courtyard®, Residence Inn®, SpringHill Suites®, Fairfield Inn & Suites®, TownePlace Suites®, Protea Hotels® and MoxyHotels®. Marriott has been consistently recognized as a top employer and for its superior business ethics. The company also manages the award-winning guest loyalty program, Marriott Rewards® and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards® program, which together surpass 50 million members. For more information or reservations, please visit our website at 
