ATLANTA – In today's world, people are staying connected in myriad ways - in person, by phone, online via social channels - and all the while, sharing experiences with one another through their stories. The Holiday Inn brand understands the importance of personal connections and the value in stories shared with business colleagues, friends, family or even someone you've never met before. With that in mind, beginning today through Sept. 14, 2011 the Holiday Inn brand is launching Stay Social and asking consumers across the country to share their favorite travel stories on its Holiday Inn Facebook page. The initiative celebrates the official launch of The Hub at Holiday Inn, a new guest environment where travelers can easily fill up, unwind and have a little fun, all while connecting with each other.

"We know the Holiday Inn guest is social and enjoys interacting with others," said Verchele Wiggins, vice president global brand management, Holiday Inn Family of Brands. "In keeping with the philosophy of doing things ‘on the guests' terms, we designed The Hub at Holiday Inn to be an innovative and open space where travelers can connect with others as well as eat, drink, relax, work or just have fun. The Hub at Holiday Inn is all about bringing good things together."

Stay Social

To kick off Stay Social, Holiday Inn is proud to sponsor StoryCorps®, the national nonprofit organization that provides Americans the opportunity to record, share, and preserve their stories. StoryCorps is one of the largest oral history projects of its kind. The brand tapped C. Kemmons Wilson, Jr. and McLean Wilson, the son and grandson, respectively, of Holiday Inn founder Kemmons Wilson, to be the first to share their personal travel stories and the connections they've made with their hotel guests over the years. Through StoryCorps, the Wilsons' recordings will be archived at the American Folklife Center in the Library of Congress ─ forever becoming part of American history.

"Throughout the years, the Holiday Inn brand has continued to evolve in order to stay connected to its guests," said Kemmons Wilson, Jr., president and chairman of the board, Wilson Hotel Management Company, Inc. "From the first personal connections made at check-in to its online communications, it's clear the Holiday Inn brand understands that listening to guests' stories drives innovation and service."

Whether it's a chance encounter on a business trip that resulted in a lifelong friendship or a cherished family beach vacation, each personal story posted online by consumers as part of Stay Social, will connect travelers all over. While on the Holiday Inn Facebook page, guests will also have the opportunity to explore The Hub at Holiday Inn virtually and even share their thoughts on different elements of the space with the brand directly. In addition, one person will be chosen at random to win the Stay Social grand prize - an all expense paid trip to The Hub at Holiday Inn in Atlanta, Ga. After experiencing the best of Atlanta, including two tickets to a Major League Baseball game and an opportunity to record their winning story with StoryCorps, the winner will go home with a brand new iPad and Wii.

A Place to Connect

Holiday Inn Hotels also officially launched its innovative design of The Hub at Holiday Inn at the Holiday Inn Gwinnett Center in Georgia. The Hub at Holiday Inn is the answer to the changing needs of travelers. The 5,000 square-foot space integrates existing but separate public areas into one cohesive space designed to help guests easily connect with others and enjoy a variety of experiences outside their hotel room.

While Holiday Inn Hotels already provides guests with everything they need to stay connected to the office or home with free WiFi, accessible outlets and a business center, The Hub at Holiday Inn allows the brand to provide the added benefit of being able to connect with people on a social level. The Hub at Holiday Inn focuses heavily on three areas that really sets it apart from similar concepts: an enhanced bar experience for eating and drinking, the ability to have fun via the gaming area and being able to relax either at the outdoor cabanas and fire pits or in the media lounge. Between the restaurant, bar, coffee shop, market, media center, games and outdoor patio, it's easy for guests to unwind at The Hub at Holiday Inn.

For more information about The Hub at Holiday Inn and Stay Social, please visit the Holiday Inn Facebook page.

About the Holiday Inn brand

With over 1,200 hotels worldwide, Holiday Inn Hotels is the most widely recognized lodging brand in the world. In fact, Holiday Inn was one of the first international hotel brands to establish a presence in China in 1984. Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts provides the services that business travelers need, while also offering a comfortable atmosphere where all people can relax and enjoy amenities such as restaurants and room service, swimming pools, fitness centers and comfortable lounges. The casual atmosphere and amenities such as meeting and on-site business facilities, KidSuites rooms and, Kids Eat and Stay Free programs, demonstrate the long-standing commitment of Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts to serving travelers and have helped to establish the brand as "America's Favorite Hotel." For more information about Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Resorts, including IHG's new vacation resort brand Holiday Inn Club Vacations, or to book reservations, call 1-800-HOLIDAY or visit .

About StoryCorps

StoryCorps, a national nonprofit oral history organization, aims to create a growing portrait of who we are as Americans. Founded in 2003 by MacArthur "Genius" Fellow Dave Isay, StoryCorps' mission is to provide Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to record, share, and preserve the stories of their lives. StoryCorps has collected nearly 70,000 interviews from all 50 states. Each interview is recorded on a free CD for participants to take home and share with their loved ones, and a second copy is archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. Millions of Americans listen to StoryCorps' award-winning broadcasts each week on NPR's Morning Edition. StoryCorps has published two best-selling books: Listening Is an Act of Love and Mom: A Celebration of Mothers from StoryCorps. For more information, or to listen to stories online, visit .

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) [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 program with 58 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 652,000 guest rooms in 100 countries and territories around the world.

IHG has more than 1,200 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 and information for the Priority Club Rewards program at . For our latest news visit , Twitter or YouTube .

Sarah-Ann Soffer
+1 (770) 604-2707
IHG