NEWARK, N.J., March 30, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Newark's Mayor, The Honorable Ras Baraka, officially welcomed InterContinental Hotel Group's (IHG) Hotel Indigo Downtown Newark to this vibrant and historic neighborhood. At the official ribbon cutting ceremony for the hotel on March 26, 2015, Mayor Baraka said, "The formal opening of Hotel Indigo today speaks to both the long and glorious history of the City of Newark and the great transformation we are making here. The Hotel Indigo team has creatively re-purposed and renovated one of Newark's great architectural jewels, preserving its historic features, honoring its heritage as one of the masterworks of American artistry and design." He added, "At the same time, the Hotel Indigo team has addressed some of Newark's major needs: revitalizing our downtown area, creating new jobs and career opportunities for City residents, and adding new and lustrous accommodations for visitors to our City and the region. I congratulate the Hotel Indigo team on their achievement today, wish them luck and success for the future, and thank them for joining our efforts to transform Newark into a City we can all believe in."

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The 108-room branded boutique hotel is the re-creation and re-purposing of the historic National State Bank building located at 810 Broad Street. The Hotel Indigo Downtown Newark, which began welcoming guests this past December, is a joint venture with local developers Samer and Thafer Hanini of the Hanini Group and Islam Zughayer. The property is managed by Crestline Hotels & Resorts and is franchised by an affiliate of IHG.

Samer Hanini of the Hanini Group said, "We are delighted to bring a Hotel Indigo to Newark to reflect upon this dynamic city's resurgence. We know that guests of the city will enjoy the world-class service and state-of-the-art amenities but we also hope they learn about the important role Newark has played throughout history." Islam Zughayer added, "We built this hotel because we believe in the promise of Newark and are excited to provide our guests with a unique experience unmatched in the city."

James Carroll, President & CEO of Crestline Hotels & Resorts said, "We are making history here at the Hotel Indigo and enjoy being an important part of this great community that is reclaiming its heritage and enjoying a resurgence as a great American city."

The development of the Hotel Indigo Downtown Newark was supported by several investors including Newark-based Prudential Financial, Inc. "Prudential is proud to invest to help bring Hotel Indigo to Newark," said Mark Grier, Vice Chairman, Prudential Financial. "Our support for this project is a manifestation of our unwavering commitment to the revitalization of the city we've called home for nearly 140 years." Other financial investors, in part, include the City of Newark, NJ Economic Development Authority, National Development Council, and HRS Management, the private investment office of New Jersey Devils owner Joshua Harris.

Hotel Indigo^® Newark Downtown tells the story of modern innovation over time, including a young Thomas Edison's work to invent the stock ticker. The hotel is helping to further the revitalization efforts of the area as it continues to develop as a vibrant and cosmopolitan destination.   In the 19th century, every block of Newark boomed with innovators across a variety of industries, such as tanneries, breweries and mass communication. Guests will be inspired by the neighborhood story uncovered within the Hotel Indigo Newark Downtown, which captures the rise of modern industry within a stylish boutique hotel setting. In addition, the Newark neighborhood story is brought to life within the hotel through art, photography and architecture. For example, the mosaic tile mural of Edison's ticker tape writer displayed in the lobby was created by local artists from GlassRoots, a local community organization dedicated to promoting youth development through the arts.

The Hotel Indigo^® Newark Downtown features restaurant ALVA which helps preserve the historic nature of the building with unique touches including the conversion of the original bank vault into a pizza oven.  The hotel also features Skylab, the only rooftop lounge in Downtown Newark, providing guests beautiful panoramic views of the New York City skyline and locally inspired cocktails. 

Guestrooms feature plush bedding, hard-surface flooring with area rugs and spa-inspired bathrooms. Each room also features an iPad with options to browse the Internet, window shade and temperature setting controls, order room service and make service requests.  Guests have access to a 24-hour fitness center and meeting space in the Edison Room.  The Newark hotel will feature the brand's new Neighborhood Guide, an innovative touchscreen display that connects guests to each other, the local neighborhood and to Hotel Indigo locations around the world.  Hotel team members, many of whom are locals themselves, will share their favorite hidden gems with guests looking to explore and discover the neighborhood.

Hotel Indigo Newark Downtown is four miles from Newark's Liberty International Airport and a quarter mile to Newark's Penn Station. The hotel is accepting guest room and event reservations and looks forward to extending a warm welcome to the "New" Newark! For more information or to make a reservation, visit http://www.hotelindigo.com or call 800-439-4745.  Find us on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/hotelindigo or Facebook www.Facebook.com/hotelindigo.

About Prudential:

Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU), a financial services leader with more than $1 trillion of assets under management as of December 31, 2014, has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Prudential's diverse and talented employees are committed to helping individual and institutional customers grow and protect their wealth through a variety of products and services, including life insurance, annuities, retirement-related services, mutual funds and investment management. In the U.S., Prudential's iconic Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability, expertise and innovation for more than a century. For more information, please visit www.news.prudential.com.