ORLANDO, FLORIDA, August, 2008 - Tony Johnson, Regional Vice President of Operations and General Manager of Full Service Hotels for Intercontinental Hotels Group, is thrilled to have the opportunity to provide the local Orthodox community as well as Orthodox guests traveling with this first-of-its-kind service.

The catering staff had received calls often for catered kosher affairs for Orthodox Jewish guests. Eager to serve this growing market, the management team sought out someone with the experience and knowledge to assist in offering a kosher catering menu. Given a lack of local options, they realized the opportunity at hand and set out to create the first full-time kosher kitchen for a hotel property in Orlando

This new business venture brings together a working partnership between the Kosher Kats Marketplace and the Holiday Inn International Drive Resort. The Kosher Kitchen is operated by David and Jody Ungar. This father/daughter team has successfully operated Kosher Kats Marketplace in Longwood, FL for over 10 years, and they are delighted to break new ground with the only glatt kosher kitchen on a hotel premises in Orlando. The kitchen will offer a full array of glatt kosher cuisine and options for both visitors and the local Orthodox community with banquet rooms that accommodate 10 – 1000 guests.

The Holiday Inn International Drive Resort, located near several famous Orlando attractions, is ideally-designed for the Orthodox. It comprises a central lobby building surrounded by clusters of two-story structures with no elevators, accommodating Orthodox guests who are not permitted to operate electric devices during the Sabbath.

To allow Orthodox guests to move freely throughout the hotel on the Sabbath, the Holiday Inn has strung an eruv around its 14-acre property. Under Jewish law, the Orthodox are permitted to carry things only in their homes on the Sabbath. The eruv, however, expands the home and allows the Orthodox to carry items like room keys within its boundaries. In addition, signs alert housekeepers and staff not to turn lights or televisions on or off during the Sabbath in the rooms of Orthodox guests.

As occupancy dictates, one of the International Drive hotel's meeting rooms will be established as a small synagogue in which services may be held several times a day. To best accommodate any guest needs, the Rabbi will live near the hotel.

The Kosher Kitchen is open all hours with the exception of the Sabbath (kosher options will still be available) and certain holidays and offers a wide range of glatt kosher meals along with a room service menu for after hours. In addition, the resort offers newly-renovated ballrooms for important celebrations such as bar and bat mitzvahs as well as treasured milestones such as weddings, anniversaries and family reunions.

The wedding coordinators have worked closely with Jody Ungar and the Rabbi to create a wonderful selection of menus for either a glatt meat meal or a cholov yisroel dairy meal. In addition, assistance is available for all parts of the affair, including the ketubah in original Aramaic or English as well as the chuppah for the traditional Orthodox ceremony.

For more information regarding events at the Holiday Inn International Drive Resort and the glatt kosher meal options offered by the Kosher Kitchen, visit the website at http://www.hi-idrive.com/, for more information about the Kosher Kitchen, visit the website http://www.the-kosher-kitchen.com/ and for Kosher Kats, visit the website at http://www.kosherkats.com/. To contact the hotel directly, call 407.351.3500 for reservations or 407.248.2169 for event planning.

About Holiday Inn Orlando International Drive Resort:
This recently-renovated Orlando family hotel consists of 652 fully-equipped guest rooms, including 7 suites. Each room contains a mini-fridge and microwave, coffee maker, complimentary wireless Internet access and an in-room safe. The “Inviting Ready Room” program ensures the comfort of all guests. This program features an upgraded bedding package that consists of a fitted sheet, two flat sheets plus a bed blanket and pillow menu. For a rewarding choice among hotels near Universal Studios Orlando, Florida, you can't beat the Holiday Inn International Drive Resort.

Press Contact Information

Holiday Inn Orlando International Drive Resort
kathleen.hawthorne@ichotelsgroup.com
407.351.3500 x2170
6515 International Drive Orlando, FL 32819

Source URL: http://www.hi-idrive.com/

Who Read this Press Release