Holiday Inn Relaunches 1000th Hotel

New Holiday Inn Express(R) in Times Square, New York, opens as part of the biggest relaunch in hospitality history

NEW YORK, July 24, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON: IHG, NYSE: IHG (ADRs)], the world's largest hotel company, today announced the opening of its 1000th relaunched Holiday Inn hotel - the Holiday Inn Express New York City Times Square. (middle left photo)

The $1 billion relaunch of Holiday Inn is the largest in the history of the hospitality industry, with more than 3,200 hotels around the world being updated - improving quality and driving consistency at Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express hotels from Boston to Beijing.

In addition to the 3,200 open hotels, there are another 1,050 in the development pipeline, due to open with the relaunched branding in the next three to four years.

The relaunch program, combined with new openings and continued removal of lower quality hotels, will completely rejuvenate the Holiday Inn estate over the next few years.

Andy Cosslett, (top right photo) IHG's CEO, said, "The opening of our 1000th relaunched Holiday Inn hotel is the latest milestone on our three year journey and demonstrates the momentum behind the program.

"Despite the tough economic climate, we've relaunched, on average, four hotels a day for the past six months, and we're committed to completing the global relaunch by the end of 2010.

"Relaunched hotels are benefiting from improved guest satisfaction and an average RevPAR (revenue per available room) outperformance of more than 5%.

"And the feedback we're getting from our guests and hotel owners tells us it's the right time to be doing this.

"The economic environment has changed since we started the program, but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to show people that the Holiday Inn they came to know and love over the last 50 years is still a hotel that's right for them today."

"The Holiday Inn Express New York City Times Square represents the substantial changes we are making to improve the experience our guests have at each of our hotels around the world," said Kevin Kowalski, senior vice president, Global Brand Management, Holiday Inn Brands.

"As a key market for the brand, New York City is the perfect backdrop for this global milestone in the Holiday Inn brand relaunch and further strengthens our position in the industry."

On average, 26 million people a year visit New York's Times Square, and the 210-room Holiday Inn Express New York City Times Square is surrounded by the city's biggest tourist attractions including Broadway, Rockefeller Center and the Empire State Building.

The hotel is located at 343 West 39th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues in midtown Manhattan, with LaGuardia (LGA) and JFK International (JFK) both less than 30 minutes away.

To make a reservation, please call 1-800-HOLIDAY or visit http://www.holidayinn.com/.

The Holiday Inn Express New York City Times Square is owned by M&R Hotel, LLC, and managed by Hersha Hospitality, under a license agreement with a company in the InterContinental Hotels Group.

CONTACTS:

Sarah-Ann Soffer, Holiday Inn, +1-770-604-2707, Sarahann.soffer@ihg.com,

Andrew Bard, Weber Shandwick, +1-212-445-8368, abard@webershandwick.com

Web Site: http://www.holidayinn.com/

InterContinental CEO Sees up to $200M in Energy Savings at 4,000 Hotels

LONDON—InterContinental Hotels Group PLC, which calls itself the world’s largest hotel company based on its 4,000 global properties, is betting it can save up to $200 million in energy costs beginning this year with a new online system called Green Engage.

The system includes various savings tools from insulating a hotel’s hot water pipes to introducing a recycling program and switching to organic cleaning materials to appointing one of the employees as a green champion.

IHG CEO Andrew Cosslett (top right photo) says early trials show potential savings of up to 25%.

Developed by IHG, the system will be rolled out across the company’s seven brands following final trials which started last week in 650 hotels. Among the brands are Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza and InterContinental.

Cosslett expects the system will be offered as an option to all of InterContinental’s 4,000 hotels from mid 2009.

The IHG ‘Green Engage’ software works by hotels directly recording data on site. The system automatically compares hotels of a similar nature across the world and lists a series of actions that each hotel can take to reduce waste and the consumption of energy and water.

“This is an important initiative for IHG, our hotel owners and our guests,” says Cosslett.

“Green Engage is a practical tool designed to help improve environmental performance, reduce costs and respond to our guests increasing awareness of this issue.

“Across our estate, we estimate Green Engage has the potential to drive up to $200 million of savings for our hotel owners and significantly reduce energy consumption.”

(Crowne Plaza Hotel, Downtown Washington, D.C., middle right photo)

Thomas J. Corcoran Jr., (top left photo) chairman of the Owners’ Association of InterContinental Hotels Group (IAHI) and owner of a number of hotels taking part in the Green Engage pilot, says, “Green Engage is not only good for the environment, but is also good for business.

“In the current economic climate and with rising energy bills, this tool will help us to identify significant cost savings. At the same time it delivers what our guests want – a greater sense of well-being and less impact on our planet when traveling.”

Corcoran says Green Engage “responds to growing levels of interest from guests who are looking for sustainable hotels that manage their environmental impact. As well as location, price and amenities, guests are now factoring in a hotel’s environmental credentials when booking a place to stay.”

(Holiday Inn Express & Suites, Branson, MO, bottom left photo)

IHG’s Cosslett says that “by utilizing ‘Green Engage’, hotels will now have for the first time, a comprehensive on-line system which gives them the means to:

“Measure their usage of energy and water, waste produced and their carbon emissions. They can then benchmark themselves against other hotels and set demanding, but achievable reduction targets.

“Manage the elements of their hotel that most impact the environment.

“Report on progress to date both internally and to guests and corporate clients.”
In 2008, IHG launched Innovation Hotel, an online example of what a future hotel might look like if it used new green technologies.

“Guests can provide feedback on which of these they feel are important, allowing IHG to consider how they can be implemented as part of the Green Engage program,” adds Cosslett. #

For more information about corporate responsibility at IHG, visit: www.ihg.com/responsibility

IHG to open three Indigos in London

LONDON, Jan. 20, 2009--IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) opened the doors of Hotel Indigo London Paddington (top right photo) today - the first Hotel Indigo outside North America - and announced a deal to open three more Hotel Indigo properties in the city.

Hotel Indigo is IHG's boutique hotel brand. With 21 hotels open in North America, and 56 hotels in the global development pipeline, the opening of the Hotel Indigo London Paddington marks the start of the global brand roll-out.

The 64-room Hotel Indigo London Paddington, owned by London Town Hotels, is a row of nine converted Georgian townhouses in London Street just minutes from the station with views over Norfolk Gardens.

Speaking at the opening Andy Cosslett, (top left photo) chief executive, IHG, said: "Hotel Indigo combines the feel of a boutique hotel with the benefits of a large hotel group, including our reservation systems and loyalty programme. The brand has been a success in the Americas and we are confident we can grow it around the world."

He continued: "Hotel Indigo suits converting existing buildings as each hotel is designed to be different. Conversions generally require less financing and can be up and running more quickly than new build hotels, which is an attractive option for owners given the current economic conditions."

Koolesh Shah, (bottom left photo) managing director, London Town Hotels, said: "Over the last few years new businesses have put down roots in Paddington and we've seen a surge in the number of people looking for a place to stay. Our hotel will attract a new type of guest who is looking for something a little bit different."

IHG also announced that it has signed a contract with City Site Estates to open three more Hotel Indigo properties in London by 2012:

Cannon Street - A 38 room, five storey townhouse with a 70 square metre roof garden, a gym and a restaurant. Philpot Lane - A 43 room, five floor conversion with a street front restaurant, bar and gym.

Kensington Church Street - A 51 room, four storey conversion with a restaurant and gym.

Jim McCain, (middle right photo) group property director, City Site Estates, said: "There's a gap in the market for a boutique hotel for business and leisure travellers who want to stay in the heart of the City. We plan to have all three Hotel Indigo hotels open and ready for business by 2012."

Hotel Indigo appeals to both business and leisure travellers who want to stay in a contemporary, unpretentious boutique hotel. Hotel Indigo properties are best suited to capital cities and cultural centres, they tend to be small and have a strong focus on delivering personalised customer service.

In November 2008, IHG announced plans to open Hotel Indigo Shanghai on the Bund in Shanghai, China. The 180-room hotel will open in time for the Shanghai Expo in 2010.

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is the world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms. IHG owns, manages, leases or franchises, through various subsidiaries, over 4,100 hotels and more than 600,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories around the world.

The Group owns a portfolio of well recognised and respected hotel brands including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo®, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites® and Candlewood Suites®, and also manages the world’s largest hotel loyalty programme, Priority Club® Rewards with 40 million members worldwide.

CONTACTS:

Suzanne Seyghal, 01895 512 247 / 07808 098 878, suzanne.seyghal@ihg.com

Eleanor Conroy, 01895 512 053 / 07736 746 466, eleanor.conroy@ihg.com