CAIRO: Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) launched the first of its "home away from home hotel facilities in the Middle East and Africa this week, with the opening of its StayBridge residential suites at the company's five-star hotel in Heliopolis. The 140 suites under the StayBridge brand are luxury apartments, some with one, two or three bedrooms, with a fully-equipped kitchen, so the guests can feel at home. But unlike straightforward apartments, guests also benefit from top-class hotel room service facilities. "Staybridge suites are more home than hotel. They were first launched in America in 1997 for travelers seeking a residential-style hotel for long periods' Kirk Kinsell, president of Intercontinental for Europe, the Middle east and Africa, said in his speech. IHG is one of the world's largest hotel groups by the number of rooms, having more than 590,000 guest rooms, in nearly 100 countries and territories, worldwide. In the first four years the StayBridge brand expanded to 130 hotels globally. Also in attendance at the launch event was the minister of tourism Zohair Garanah. "It is a new product, which will definitely invite more tourism in Egypt, Garranah told the Daily News Egypt. "It is definitely different than anything we have, the minister added. The launch party was attended by a great many personal friends of the hotel chain management, including among them famous squash players Karim Darwish, Amir Wagi, and brothers Rami and Hesham Ashour.
