AMSTERDAM (November 29, 2012) - Aedes Real Estate, Hyatt and Marcel Wanders announced today a donation to the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. The major financial gift by Aedes, Marcel Wanders, and a Hyatt affiliate is made on the occasion of the official opening of Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht, the first Hyatt hotel in the Netherlands. The donation will be celebrated at a lunch hosted by Amsterdam Mayor Eberhard van der Laan and Alderman Carolien Gehrels at the Mayor’s residence on Friday, November 30, 2012.
The Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
The new supporters of the Stedelijk Museum aim to connect local residents as well as international visitors to the arts and culture in Amsterdam. For example, Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht showcases a permanent video art collection of 40 unique pieces from various emerging and established local and international video artists throughout the hotel.
Initiators Paul Geertman of Aedes Real Estate and Marcel Wanders envision the high-end lifestyle hotel as a new hotspot for guests, visitors and the creative community. “Mixed use of spaces has always been a major theme in my work. It creates dynamic places that attract a variety of people. Developing the Andaz enabled us to create a new place to share art with a broader audience. To me it was a logical step to intensify the bonds we had already built with the Stedelijk Museum and the City of Amsterdam in our shared passion for contemporary art and local culture,” said Paul Geertman.
The cooperation between Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht and the Stedelijk Museum is further evident in the new “Hyatt Room,” located on the 2nd floor of the Stedelijk Museum. The “Hyatt Room” currently houses a selection of contemporary art works, including, ‘Femme nue devant le jardin’ by Pablo Picasso, ‘Fingermalerei – Akt’ by Georg Baselitz, ‘Velazquez’ by Franz West, and Philip Guston’s ‘Painting, Smoking, Eating’ and ‘The Door.’
The new “Hyatt Room” at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
“At its core, Andaz is focused on tapping into the cultural interests of its guests and finding out about their passions and aspirations. The brand’s collaborative programs around the world, including our support of the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, bring creative expression and emerging local talent together to create a point of cultural connection between our Andaz guests and neighbors. These efforts build on our commitment to fostering thriving communities in each of the places Hyatt hotels are located,” said Mark Hoplamazian, President and Chief Executive Officer, Hyatt Hotels Corporation.
“The Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam is honored to receive such a generous gift. We will be relying on the business community more and more in the future so we hope many will follow this generous example. We have a longstanding relationship with Marcel Wanders, whose work is significantly represented in the museum’s collections and we greatly look forward to mounting a major exhibition of his work in 2014,” said Ann Goldstein, Artistic Director of the Stedelijk Museum.
About Aedes Real Estate
Aedes Real Estate operates across the Netherlands as an independent property developer. We have developed residential accommodation, hotels, office/business premises and specialize in redeveloping complex urban locations. We subsequently tend to keep the projects in our portfolio as investments. Aedes Real Estate contributes to the development and redevelopment of urban areas by investing and focusing on the highest possible quality projects. In our work we deploy all our creativity and professional knowledge of the market, yet always with a view to create sustainable development. Aedes Real Estate takes the project through its entire life cycle from conception through completion. Besides building the new Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht, Aedes Real Estate has recently developed several projects such as the Westerhuis (offices for the creative industry in the Jordaan), the Professor Tulpstraat (apartments and offices) and the Burgerziekenhuis (hotel with 125 rooms). For more information, please visit www.aedesrealestate.nl
About Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht
Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht is on the site of the former Public Library on the Prinsengracht – the “Prince’s Canal.” Marvelously located in the cultural heart of Amsterdam, the hotel is surrounded by the creative scene and dynamic character of the lively Jordaan district and adjacent “Nine Streets.” The new 122-room (including five suites) hotel is within close walking distance of the city’s major attractions, as well as prime retail and business districts. Reflecting its energetic and distinctive surroundings, Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht is devoted to providing highly personalized, uncomplicated service in an atmosphere that authentically embraces the best of Amsterdam. Notable features are the in-house restaurant and bar, Bluespoon, 400 square meters (4,305 square feet) of meeting space, a signature spa with sauna, steam and treatment rooms, and a fully equipped 24-hour gym. Every space is uniquely designed by Dutch architect and renowned designer, Marcel Wanders, reflecting a modern and adventurous view of Dutch history and local culture. Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht is offering a series of local cultural events through the Andaz Salon, kicking off with the Amsterdam Art Weekend in December. The hotel is dedicated to creating a stage and motivating creative minds to come together, share their passions, work and play. For more information, visit www.amsterdam.prinsengracht.andaz.com or call +31 20 523 1234.
About Hyatt Hotels Corporation
Hyatt Hotels Corporation, headquartered in Chicago, is a leading global hospitality company with a proud heritage of making guests feel more than welcome. Thousands of members of the Hyatt family strive to make a difference in the lives of the guests they encounter every day by providing authentic hospitality. The Company's subsidiaries manage, franchise, own and develop hotels and resorts under the HyattTM, Park HyattTM, AndazTM, Grand HyattTM, Hyatt RegencyTM, Hyatt PlaceTM and Hyatt HouseTM brand names and have locations on six continents. Hyatt Residential Group, Inc., a Hyatt Hotels Corporation subsidiary, develops, operates, markets or licenses Hyatt ResidencesTM and Hyatt Residence ClubTM. As of September 30, 2012, the Company's worldwide portfolio consisted of 496 properties in 45 countries. For more information, please visit www.hyatt.com.
About Marcel Wanders
Marcel Wanders is a product and interior designer, who gained international fame with the Knotted Chair which he designed for Droog Design in 1996. His work is omnipresent; the designs are produced worldwide by leading companies as Flos, Alessi, Baccarat, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, MAC Cosmetics, Cappellini, B&B Italia and Marks & Spencer. Wanders is co-founder of the successful design label Moooi, of which he is the art director as well. Additional to this he designs for architectural projects like the Kameha Grand hotel in Bonn, the Mondrian South Beach hotel in Miami and the Villa Moda shop in Bahrein. For more information: www.marcelwanders.com
About the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
The Stedelijk Museum, built in 1895, is the largest museum for modern and contemporary art and design in the Netherlands. It reopened on September 23, 2012 with a fully renovated historical building and a new wing designed by Benthem Crouwel Architects. It now has more space than ever to permanently show its renowned collections and cutting-edge exhibitions. The collection of the Stedelijk includes more than 90,000 artworks from 1870 up to now, with works by such diverse artists as Karel Appel, Max Beckmann, Marc Chagall, Wim Crouwel, Rineke Dijkstra, Marlene Dumas, Ed van der Elsken, Joan Jonas, Donald Judd, Willem de Kooning, Jeff Koons, Ed Kienholz, Piet Mondrian, Kasimir Malevich, Henri Matisse, Barnett Newman, Bruce Nauman, Gerrit Rietveld, Cindy Sherman, Ettore Sottsass, and Charley Toorop. A large retrospective of the work of American artist Mike Kelley will premiere at the Stedelijk on December 15 and will travel to Paris, New York and Los Angeles.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Forward-Looking Statements in this press release, which are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements include statements about our plans, strategies, occupancy and ADR trends, market share, the number of properties we expect to open in the future, our expected adjusted SG&A expense, capital expenditures, depreciation and amortization expense and interest expense estimates, financial performance, prospects or future events and involve known and unknown risks that are difficult to predict. As a result, our actual results, performance or achievements may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as “may,” “could,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “seek,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue,” “likely,” “will,” “would” and variations of these terms and similar expressions, or the negative of these terms or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by us and our management, are inherently uncertain. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, among others, general economic uncertainty in key global markets, the rate and pace of economic recovery following economic downturns; levels of spending in business and leisure segments as well as consumer confidence; declines in occupancy and average daily rate; limited visibility with respect to short and medium-term group bookings; the impact of hotel renovations; our ability to successfully execute and implement our organizational realignment and the costs associated with such organizational realignment; our ability to successfully execute and implement our common stock repurchase program; loss of key personnel, including as a result of our organizational realignment; hostilities, including future terrorist attacks, or fear of hostilities that affect travel; travel-related accidents; changes in the tastes and preferences of our customers; relationships with associates and labor unions and changes in labor law; the financial condition of, and our relationships with, third-party property owners, franchisees and hospitality venture partners; if our third-party owners, franchisees or development partners are unable to access the capital necessary to fund current operations or implement our plans for growth; risk associated with potential acquisitions and dispositions and the introduction of new brand concepts; changes in the competitive environment in our industry and the markets where we operate; outcomes of legal proceedings; changes in federal, state, local or foreign tax law; foreign exchange rate fluctuations or currency restructurings; general volatility of the capital markets; our ability to access the capital markets; and other risks discussed in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K, which filings are available from the SEC. We caution you not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which are made as of the date of this press release. We undertake no obligation to update publicly any of these forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, new information or future events, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking statements, except to the extent required by applicable laws. If we update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.
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Malene Rydahl
Director, Corporate Communications – Europe, Africa, Middle East
+33 1 53 45 2838
malene.rydahl@hyatt.com
Jamie Rothfeld
Associate Manager, Andaz Brand
+1 312 780 6070
jamie.rothfeld@hyatt.com