Established in 1929
Health City Sun
The
www.healthcitysun.com
Published by Defined Publishing, Inc.
New Mexico’s Legal & Financial Weekly
Aug 19, 2011
Vol. 1.82 No. 34
FORECLOSURE SALES: 11
PROBATE:12
STORAGE AUCTIONS: 1
NOTICE OF SUITS: 7
OTHER: 24
OTHER AUCTIONS: 1
Crowne Plaza Albuquerque to Open After a $14 Million Renovation and Brand Change
T
he world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms today announces that the Crowne Plaza Albuquerque will open in Sept. 2011 following a brand change from a Hilton that included $14 million in renovations throughout the property. The 261-room hotel features 26,000 square feet of meeting space that includes an 8,000 square foot conference center and is conveniently located just six miles from the airport and three miles from historic Old Town. The hotel is on a 14 acre oasis in the university and midtown district that captures the unique flavor and artistry of the popular Southwest New Mexico destination. Guest rooms are tastefully decorated and spacious with breathtaking views of Albuquerque’s spectacular high-desert landscape of mesas, volcanoes and the Sandia Mountains. “We’re pleased to bring the Crowne Plaza brand to the Albuquerque area, especially in such a convenient location for business travelers and meetings,” said Gina LaBarre, vice president, Brand Management, the Americas, IHG. “There are several major employers in the area that will benefit from the meetings-savvy products and services that only a Crowne Plaza can provide.” “We are excited to be re-opening as a Crowne Plaza at a location that is ideal for both business and leisure guests,” said General Manager Eric Rossena. “It is the perfect facility for meetings and business travelers and it offers our guests the opportunity to enjoy Crowne Plaza’s upscale experience.” A recipient of the “New Mexico Green Zia Environmental Excellence Award,” the hotel is convenient for leisure travelers as it is minutes from historic Old Town, Balloon Fiesta Park, the world’s longest tramway, championship golf courses, Indian gaming casinos and wonderful shopping. Sante Fe is a short 55 minute scenic drive away. The hotel features the famous Ranchers Club of New Mexico restaurant, the only AAA 4 Diamond Award Winner in Albuquerque, and is also a repeat winner of the prestigious DiRoNA (Distinguished Restaurants of North America) Award. Recently opened, the new Stonestreet Restaurant features innovative New Mexican cuisines for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The full-service hotel is located at 1901 University Boulevard NE in Albuquerque and includes 22 meeting rooms in 26,000 square feet of meeting space, an outdoor pool, fitness center, complimentary wireless access throughout the hotel, business center and complimentary parking.
Prepaid copy provided by:
Timo Haugen - Northwestern Mutual 2011 The Crowne Plaza is “the Place to Meet” with the signature comprehensive meetings program that ensures a seamless planning process and exceptional meeting experience consisting of three key components: a Two-Hour Response Guarantee, a Crowne Meetings Director and a Daily Meetings Debrief. When the hotel opens, it will be participating in “The Big Reward” that gives meeting planners up to 500,000 bonus Priority Club® points when they book rooms at participating IHG locations across North America. Consistent with the Crowne Plaza brand, the hotel features the Crowne Plaza Sleep Advantage® that encompasses the entire sleep experience, from training staff on how to create and maintain a restful environment to providing innovative products and services. Program components include signature bedding, guaranteed wake-up calls, designated quiet zones, nightlights, drape clips and amenities such as eye masks, earplugs and lavender spray. Crowne Plaza was recently recognized by Lodging Hospitality magazine as one of the industry’s top-growing brands. Additionally, for the second consecutive year, Business Travel News magazine named Crowne Plaza as the No. 1 upscale brand as voted by travel buyers in its annual U.S. Hotel Chain Survey. As part of the IHG global portfolio, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts has more than 300 hotels in nearly 60 countries, located in major urban centers, gateway cities and resort destinations. The Crowne Plaza Albuquerque is independently owned and will operate under a license agreement with a company in the InterContinental Hotels Group. For reservations at Crowne Plaza properties, visit http:// www.crowneplaza.com/ or call 1-800-2CROWNE.
Cheaper Ways to Watch Movies at Home Dollars & Sense by David Uffington
F
or millions of families, the cost of movie night at home just went up. Netflix, the popular DVD rental company, unexpectedly raised its rates by as much as 60 percent last month. No longer can you get movies and all the streaming you want for one low price. Now the movies and the streaming have separate costs, and to get both the DVDs delivered to your door and streaming will cost more. There are other ways to watch inexpensive movies, however, if you know where to look. If you don’t already have a means of streaming movies, check into the Roku [www.roku.com], a nifty little
streaming box. It comes in three levels: $60, $80 and $100. Price is determined by high-definition level (720p or 1080p), but all come with built-in wireless. Be sure to hunt around the settings to see all that’s offered with Roku -- more than 300 channels with music, movies and shows. Many of the services, such as Crackle, are free. Hulu Plus and Amazon offer inexpensive access to movies. Pandora, the movie channel, is free. You’ll find EPIX movies and on-demand sports. Additionally, with Roku you’ll have access (some free) to some international movies and television shows. And yes, you can access
Netflix if you have the streaming option. If you only want to stream to your computer or mobile phone, check Zediva [www.Zediva.com] for $1.99 new movie rentals. And here’s a bonus: You don’t have to pay with a credit card on its site. You can pay with PayPal if you prefer. Bigger bonus: If you pay for a package of 10 movies, the cost drops to a dollar apiece. However, due to the way Zediva has set up its relationship with the movie studios, only a certain number of copies of a given movie are available at any one time. Read the FAQ to be sure you understand the limits. If you’re a parent and going to be
in the market for a new DVD player soon, consider getting one of the inexpensive combo DVD and VCR players. You can save money on the kids’ movies by shopping yard sales, where you can find hundreds of older VHS movies for a fraction of the cost of the DVD version. (You’ll also be less upset when the kids unwind a movie tape than you would be if they scratch a new DVD.) David Uffington regrets that he cannot personally answer reader questions, but will incorporate them into his column whenever possible. Write to him in care of King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475, or send e-mail to columnreply@gmail.com. (c) 2011 King Features Synd., Inc.