<H1> Crowne Plaza Opens</H1>By Barbara Cook
<I>Washington, D.C. </I>- The city's newest business-class hotel, the 301-room Crowne Plaza, offers business travelers easy access to the downtown area, along with a variety of high-tech amenities.
The property, which opened several weeks ago, offers prime access to Metro subway stops and is within easy walking distance of the main business district, bordering K Street and Connecticut Avenue.
In addition to the usual deluxe guest room amenities, each room features a Hitachi telephone system with two lines, a built-in laptop computer dataport and VCR hookups on the television. According to a hotel spokesperson, guests can use the equipment to access airport and flight information, congressional calendar updates, information on special events in the city and meetings scheduled at the hotel.
Rooms on the Club Level and the business-class floors provide "polycom" stations with fax, copier and printer capabilities. The hotel offers laptop computers, pagers and cell phones for nominal rental charges.
For meeting planners, the new property offers 6,700 square feet of meeting and banquet space, and can accommodate from 10 to 200 guests. It's divided into five meeting rooms, an executive boardroom and a ballroom. The space also offers teleconferencing and videoconferencing.
In addition, the hotel features a complete fitness center, concierge services, a restaurant and espresso bar, which serves international coffees and snacks.
The new Crowne Plaza is housed in the renovated Hamilton Building, a 75-year-old Beaux Arts structure overlooking Franklin Park, which now ranks as one of the city's main office locations.
The property is operated by Allied Hospitality, based in Des Plaines, Ill., and owned by the Dutch-French joint venture Home Plaza Corp.