SIX CONTINENTS HOTELS NAME CHANGE BRINGS DREAM HOLIDAY FOR TRAVEL FANATIC

Regional manager for Oman plans South American adventure after competition success

The selection of Six Continents Hotels as the new name for the world’s most global hotel company has brought a dream holiday for a self-confessed travel fanatic working at one of its Middle East properties.

Nina Weir, regional training manager for Oman, was one of two winners of a company-wide competition in which employees were asked for their input into the renaming of the former Bass Hotels & Resorts.

Earning a holiday of a lifetime, Nina, a self-confessed travel fanatic who has visited all six continents where the company is represented, is now looking forward to a return visit to South America.

“I’ve been there once before when I stayed with friends in Peru, and I’ve wanted to go back ever since,” she said. “I want to travel further into the Amazon region this time, and go to Brazil, and maybe Chile as well.”

Nina, who has held previous positions at Inter-Continental Hotels and Resorts in her native Australia and Cambodia, learned of her success in the competition through a surprise phone call from Tom Oliver, chairman of Six Continents Hotels.

“When he called, I thought he’d been put through to the wrong extension,” she said. “I was so thrilled. I entered the competition because I very much hoped the new name would be representative of the world-wide nature of the company.”

There was an overwhelming response to the competition, with entries arriving from all around the world, reflecting the global reach of the company’s hotel brands. Five runners-up included Mike Catterall, vice president technical services, Middle East and Africa, based at the company’s regional headquarters in Cairo.

The choice of Six Continents Hotels, and Six Continents PLC as the new name of its parent company, was approved by shareholders last month. The name Bass and the red triangle trademark were sold with the Bass Brewers business to Interbrew in August last year. A condition of the sale was that Bass ceases using the name by 21 August, 2002. The new Six Continents symbol has been designed to reinforce the name in a manner that is clear and distinctive.

Six Continents was selected for its representation of the global spread and aspirations of the group, which operates over 3,200 hotels and resorts in close to 100 countries and territories, across six continents.

The company currently operates 117 Inter-Continental, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn properties in the Middle East and Africa, with another 25 under development in the region.