The Crowne Plaza Vilamoura, set to open in January 2010, will be the first Crowne Plaza hotel in Portugal. The historic deal is the first franchise agreement between IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) and the Grupo Marope, a Portuguese property and hotel owning company. The hotel will create more than 200 jobs when it opens. The new hotel is right on the Vilamoura beach, 300 meters from the Algarve's main marina, Marina Vilamoura, and 20 kilometers from Faro Airport. The hotel is within walking distance of five golf courses in Vilamoura, and only 20 minutes drive from other major courses in the Algarve. Vilamoura is one of Europe's most popular destinations for tourists and golfers. The Crowne Plaza Vilamoura will have 327 rooms and suites, and impressive conference facilities with 1,200 square meters of meeting room space. There is a 760 square meter meeting room divisible into three, a 275 square meter meeting room also divisible into three, an executive boardroom for 12 people and 22 guest rooms that have been designed for use as meeting rooms when needed.
