IHG^® Hotels & Resorts (IHG^®) builds upon We're there, its global marketing campaign launched in June for Holiday Inn^® and Holiday Inn Express^®. These two iconic brands will continue to enable people to travel and come together in-real-life ("IRL") by surprising travelers with 10,000 free nights for stays at properties around the world. By encouraging guests to #BeThereIRL, the brands will celebrate the in-person connections that have taken place in nearly 4,000 Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express hotels worldwide. Even in the digital-first world, people crave in-person moments and connections with friends, family and colleagues, and they're willing to go out of their way to make them happen. According to new research conducted this year by Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express, although 59 percent of people communicate with family members digitally more than in person, the desire to travel to be with family and friends is stronger than ever. A nationwide survey in both the US and UK found that:

• One in four adults confess to skipping work or school to gain more time with their loved ones
• Spending time IRL is not waning in the digital age - in fact, many adults have lied to get out of doing something else (26 percent) in order to take a trip to see a loved one
• 78 percent of adults would prefer to share an all-expenses paid weekend trip with someone rather than an all-expenses paid shopping spree (22 percent) with their best friend

Kicking off during back-to-school season, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express will make these in-person connections even easier by surprising travelers with 10,000 free nights via IHG^® Rewards Club points, through the end of the year. Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express will award the nights to travelers through a series of fun surprise-and-delight moments on social media and through events in major cities around the world.

Heather Balsley, Senior Vice President, Global Marketing, Mainstream brands said: "Through our We're there campaign, we're enabling, uncovering and sharing the stories of real-life, meaningful connections that have happened at our hotels. From the couple who met at a Holiday Inn property celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversary, to the business partners who started an empire from the lobby of a Holiday Inn Express hotel, we're celebrating moments and relationships that could only have happened by traveling to be there in real life."

We're there launched globally earlier this summer with two cobranded spots that embrace the experiences of people reuniting with those they care about most. The campaign focuses on the importance of being there in person for moments and connections that cannot be replaced by social media likes or conference calls. Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express have always had a history of enabling human connections. Since the first hotel opened in Memphis in 1952, Holiday Inn has played a pivotal role in bringing people together through travel, whether for business or leisure.

With hotel teams welcoming millions of guests through their doors, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express hotels make travel more accessible for all and are uniquely positioned to help travelers be there to connect with those who matter most to them. To book your next in-person connection at a Holiday Inn or Holiday Inn Express, visit HolidayInn.com or HIExpress.com.

About IHG^®

IHG Hotels & Resorts [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global hospitality company, with a purpose to provide True Hospitality for Good.

With a family of 17 hotel brands and IHG Rewards, one of the world's largest hotel loyalty programmes, IHG has over 6,000 open hotels in more than 100 countries, and a further 1,800 in the development pipeline.

• Luxury & Lifestyle: Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas, Regent Hotels & Resorts, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Vignette Collection, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, Hotel Indigo
• Premium: voco Hotels, HUALUXE Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, EVEN Hotels
• Essentials: Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn Express, avid hotels
• Suites: Atwell Suites, Staybridge Suites, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, Candlewood Suites

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Group's holding company and is incorporated and registered in England and Wales. Approximately 350,000 people work across IHG's hotels and corporate offices globally.

Visit us online for more about our hotels and reservations and IHG Rewards. For our latest news, visit our Newsroom and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

Whitney Jones
+1 770 604 8147
IHG