Prince Albert, Saskatchewan – IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON: IHG, NYSE: IHG (ADRs)], the world's largest hotel group by number of rooms, announced today that Prince Albert’s first Holiday Inn Express® hotel has opened. The new-build property will showcase the Holiday Inn Express brand’s new sign, which is the seal of approval that this hotel exemplifies the standards of the $1 billion Holiday Inn brand relaunch program.

First announced in 2007, the relaunch program was established to create a more contemporary brand image as part of the drive to increase quality and consistency across the global portfolio. The program focuses on arrival and welcome services, guestroom, and guest bath comfort. The global estate of more than 3,200 Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express properties is expected to be relaunched by the end of 2010.

The 75-room Holiday Inn Express and Suites Prince Albert is located in the heart of the quiet town. The property is within a short driving distance of several local businesses, John Diefenbaker Historic House, Prince Albert Historic Museum and the Northern Lights Casino, making the hotel a convenient option for both business and leisure travellers alike.

Guests at the Holiday Inn Express hotel and Suites Prince Albert will experience a comfortable and smart environment with innovative preferred guest upgrades to ensure a productive stay while travelling for business or leisure. The hotel’s newly enhanced complimentary Express Start® breakfast bar will feature a full selection of breakfast items including a rotation of egg and meat selections, biscuits, yogurts, fruit and the brand’s proprietary cinnamon roll and Smart Roast® coffee. The SimplySmart™ shower incorporates a proprietary Stay Smart™ Kohler showerhead, signature shower curtain with curved rod, upgraded 100 percent cotton terry towels and a custom line of cinnamon-scented bath products. Guests will also enjoy the SimplySmart™ bedding collection where they will find new crisp fresh bedding which features an attractive decorative throw, a medium-weight duvet blanket and soft 200 thread-count sheets.

“Holiday Inn Express hotels are designed to be the smart choice for value-conscious business and leisure travellers,” said John Merkin, senior vice president, Brand Management, Holiday Inn Brands, The Americas. “With more than 1,800 properties worldwide and more than 700 properties in the pipeline, the Holiday Inn Express portfolio continues to expand into small cities like Prince Albert, providing our guests with an enhanced stay experience at a great value. We welcome this hotel into the Holiday Inn family with the brand new sign and everything it represents.”

Standard Holiday Inn Express hotel guest rooms feature comfortable queen or king-sized beds, a sitting area with a lounge chair and an in-room coffee machine featuring complimentary Smart Roast 100% Arabica coffee. Business travellers will find large desks, ergonomic chairs, free high-speed internet access, free local and toll free phone calls and phones with private voicemail. The new Prince Albert property offers a variety of additional amenities including 32” LCD TVs in all guestrooms, a 24 hour business centre, an indoor heated pool, more than 3,390 sq. ft. of meeting space and a state-of-the-art fitness centre with an LCD flat panel TV. The hotel also offers 23 King Business Class Suites and four Deluxe Jacuzzi Suites, providing a relaxing and pampering oasis with a king bed, living room, fireplace, Jacuzzi and work desk with padded chair.

“Holiday Inn Express hotels are fresh, clean and convenient for travelers,” said Anna Grassick, general manager, Holiday Inn Express and Suites Prince Albert. “We invested in this property with the goal of providing a comfortable atmosphere with all the latest in comfort to Prince Albert while offering the amenities our guests need to ensure a productive stay, and we’re pleased with the end result.”

Holiday Inn Express hotels participate in IHG’s guest loyalty program, Priority Club® Rewards. The industry’s first and largest guest loyalty program has 42 million members. Priority Club Rewards membership is free and guests can enroll by logging on www.priorityclub.com, calling 1-888-211-9874 or by inquiring at the front desk of this hotel or any of IHG’s more than 4,150 hotels worldwide.

The Holiday Inn Express hotel and Suites Prince Albert is owned and managed by Shaun Ng under a license agreement with a company in the InterContinental Hotels Group and is located at 3580 2nd Avenue West, Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, S6V 5G2. Telephone: 306-703-1000.

About Holiday Inn Express

Holiday Inn Express hotels are modern hotels for value-oriented travellers. Fresh, clean and uncomplicated, Holiday Inn Express hotels offer competitive rates for both business and leisure travellers. Guests Stay Smart® at Holiday Inn Express hotels where they enjoy a free hot Express Start® Breakfast Bar, free high-speed internet access and free local phone calls (US and Canada only). There are currently more than 1,800 Holiday Inn Express hotel locations around the globe. For more information about Holiday Inn Express hotels or to book reservations, call 1-800-HOLIDAY or visit .

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 4,150 hotels and almost 620,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories around the world. The Group owns a portfolio of well recognized 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 program, Priority Club® Rewards with 42 million members worldwide.

IHG has more than 1,700 hotels in its development pipeline, which will create 200,000 jobs 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.

Dagmara Grabowski
Weber Shandwick Worldwide
416.642.7904
IHG