Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts is cementing their position as one of the nation’s top meeting venue providers. Following a partnership agreement with online publisher ABC Connection in August 2009, the hotel group has increased their number of online conference and meetings enquiries and bookings by 150 per cent.

“Meetings and events are an integral part of our business,” says Manju Goel, Director of Sales & Revenue - UK, Park Plaza Hotels. “ABC Connection has given us an extra edge to our service, helping streamline turn-around time for enquiries and assisting our dedicated M&E sales team to provide prompt and efficient service, whether it be an initial venue query or finalising a booking.”

Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts’ ongoing commitment to M&E led to eight of the group’s properties being accepted as full members of the Meetings Industry Association (MIA) in October 2009.

The company’s five London hotels, plus properties in Nottingham, Leeds and Cardiff, were selected because of their strong conference product and commitment to providing excellent service and facilities.

“MIA is the leading association for the meetings industry and we’re looking forward to working with them to continue growing our M&E business,” says Goel. “We take pride in the quality of our service and the MIA’s AIM accreditation is a key benefit; it’s a crucial stage in communicating quality and service excellence to our target market.”

Park Plaza Hotels has rapidly expanded throughout the UK in recent years, particularly on London’s Southbank. The opening of Park Plaza Riverbank London in 2005 and Park Plaza County Hall London in 2008 placed Park Plaza Hotels as the Southbank’s dominant meeting choice, and the forthcoming opening of Park Plaza Westminster Bridge London in early 2010 will cement this position. The three hotels together give Park Plaza Hotels more than 1,800 guest rooms and 51 meeting rooms on the Southbank, a formidable presence in one of the Capital’s upcoming areas. The company’s commitment to providing the best venues extends outside London, with Park Plaza Cardiff named the 2008 Leading Conference Hotel for Wales and the West by BDRC.

“Park Plaza Hotels has a prestigious meetings and conference product,” says Jane Evans, MIA Chief Executive. “We look forward to working with their teams to help maximise their membership, and the hotels can count on the full support of the association during launch and continued business development.”