IHG introduced the brand to Taiwan in April 2008 and opened the first Holiday Inn Express at Taoyuan, which is located near the international airport and 30 minutes away from downtown Taipei, in September. Both Holiday Inn Express hotels in Taoyuan and Taichung are the first international branded hotels in their respective locations.

"Holiday Inn Express is one of the fastest growing hotel brands in the industry, opening on average, two hotels a week somewhere in the world," said Gary Rosen, senior vice president, Sales & Marketing, IHG Asia Pacific. "The two new hotels further strengthen our consumer offering in Taiwan. Holiday Inn Express appeals to guests who pride themselves as independent travellers. We encourage this self-sufficiency with the appropriate amount of service and facilities that makes the brand immensely popular. On average, three people check in every second of every day to a Holiday Inn Express somewhere around the world."

IHG sees significant potential in the hotel industry in Taiwan, where the island is becoming increasingly connected to other parts of the globe. More importantly, increasing number of visitors from mainland China are travelling to the territory and adding to the visitor arrivals. With its unique positioning which offers smart, innovative and refreshing service and facilities for business and leisure travellers, Holiday Inn Express is set to grow its popularity even further.

The two new Holiday Inn Express hotels willalready meetthe needs of travellers in the two strategically important gateway regions:

Holiday Inn Express Taichung Park - The hotel is located in Taichung, Taiwan's third largest city. Taichung City is home to many small and medium-sized enterprises with increasing business and tourism links throughout Taiwan. The 169-room hotel is part of the Sunshine Plaza shopping complex. Close to the city's central business district, it offers easy access to major transportation links, including a major train station, bus terminals and a road network that connects Taichung to all parts of Taiwan.

Holiday Inn Express Taoyuan - The 138-room hotel is in close proximity to major shopping centres and industrial estates. It is also within a 15-minute drive from the Taoyuan International Airport and is 30 minutes from downtown Taipei City.

Holiday Inn Express has expanded rapidly across the globe with over 1,800 hotels. In Greater China, there are currently 20 hotels open and 19 others in the pipeline. The brand is now open in major Chinese cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenzhen and Dalian, as well as Hong Kong. Earlier this year, IHG announced the signing of its first Holiday Inn Express hotel in Thailand - the Holiday Inn Express Siam Bangkok. This made Thailand the first country in Southeast Asia and the first in Asia Pacific outside Greater China and Japan to welcome the entry of the successful Holiday Inn Express brand.

IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global company operating seven well-known 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® . IHG also manages Priority Club® Rewards, the world's first and largest hotel loyalty programme with almost 60 million members worldwide

IHG is the world's largest hotel group by number of rooms and IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns, through various subsidiaries, a portfolio of over 4,400 hotels and more than 656,000 guest rooms in 100 countries and territories around the world

IHG has more than 1,100 hotels in its development pipeline and expects to recruit around 160,000 people worldwide over the next few years.

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Group's holding company and is incorporated in Great Britain and registered in England and Wales.

IHG offers information and online reservations for all its hotel brands at www.ihg.com/ and information for the Priority Club Rewards programme at www.priorityclub.com/. For our latest news visit www.ihg.com/media, Twitter www.twitter.com/ihgplc or YouTube www.youtube.com/ihgplc