A Red Deer hotel group has struck a deal with Westerner Park that includes naming rights for some of the facilities there.
Under the five-year partnership agreement, Gasoline Alley Holiday Inn & Suites, its Boulevard Restaurant & Lounge, and Holiday Inn Express will become official title sponsors of Westerner Park’s Trailblazer Room and Chalet, as well as its 19th Street Market, which operates during the Westerner Days Fair & Exposition.
Westerner Park CEO John Harms confirmed that the two facilities will be renamed the Holiday Inn Trailblazer Room and the Holiday Inn Chalet.
The 19th Street Market will also carry the Holiday Inn brand, he added.
The agreement will result in referrals and recommendations between Westerner Park and Holiday Inn, said Harms.
For instance, Westerner Park customers who book the Trailblazer Room or the Chalet, and exhibitors in the 19th Street Market, will be referred to the Holiday Inn and given a preferred room rate.
“With both Holiday Inn properties located within minutes of Westerner Park, either is the perfect choice for our customers when looking for local hotel accommodations, a service that we currently cannot provide.”
Boulevard Restaurant will become the recommended caterer for Chalet events, although not for bookings in the Trailblazer Room, said Harms.
“Red Deer Catering has the exclusive rights on the grounds, with the exception of the Chalet,” he explained.
Holiday Inn is also expected to send business to Westerner Park.
“Often, we receive requests for functions that exceed the capacity of our banquet and trade shows facilities,” said Shazma Charania, an owner of Zainul & Shazma Holdings Ltd., which operates Holiday Inn & Suites and Holiday Inn Express.
“Now, a direct referral will be made to Westerner Park, ensuring that the business stays in Red Deer.”
Harms declined to disclose specific terms of partnership agreement, including the financial consideration paid by the Holiday Inn group.
A family-run company, Zainul & Shazma Holdings has operated in Red Deer since 1983.
In addition to its local hotel properties, it has a Holiday Inn Express & Suites in each of Hinton and Edson, as well as a Holiday Inn hotel in Hinton.
In April, the company announced plans to build two more hotels in north Red Deer in 2014 — a Holiday Inn Express and a Staybridge Suites, with these to be physically connected.
hrichards@www.reddeeradvocate.com