InterContinental Hotels Group Scoops Five Top Titles at China Golden Pillow Awards

InterContinental Hotels Group Scoops Five Top Titles at China Golden Pillow Awards

April 24, 2006

    -- Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts named Best
Mid-scale International Brand
    -- Crowne Plaza Shenzhen named Most Recommend Theme
Hotel of the Year and   
    -- InterContinental Financial Street Beijing named Top
10 Business Hotels   
       in Bohai Delta
    -- Jiuzhai Paradise Resort (soon to be relaunched as
InterContinental       
    -- Resort Jiuzhai Paradise) named Top 10 Resorts in
China


    BEIJING, 24 April /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ --
InterContinental Hotels Group has received five top
accolades across various categories at the prestigious
China Golden Pillow Awards 2006.  The awards, presented
today to the Group's three key brands operating in China -
InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza Hotels
& Resorts and Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts - are a
clear reflection of the hotel brands' popularity amongst
guests, industry observers and the local communities. They
include:

    -- Best Mid-scale International Brand award for Holiday
Inn Hotels & 
       Resorts
    -- Most Recommended Theme Hotel of the Year for Crowne
Plaza Shenzhen
    -- Top 10 Business Hotels in Bohai Delta award for
InterContinental 
       Financial Street Beijing 
    -- Top 10 Resorts in China award for the Jiuzhai
Paradise Resort, which 
       will soon be relaunched as the InterContinental
Resort Jiuzhai Paradise
    -- Top 10 Business Restaurants in China award for
InterContinental Pudong   
    -- Shanghai's concept all-day dining restaurant Level
1. 

    The China Golden Pillow Awards, launched in 2004 as the
leading awards programme for China's hospitality industry,
is organized by the 21st Century Business Herald newspaper
and Business Class magazine.  This year, the online awards
nomination attracted the participation of some 300,000
frequent travellers from across China and the Asia Pacific
region.  Winners were then judged by a 40-member panel of
travel industry experts and senior journalists.

    Mr Edmond Ip, chief operating officer of
InterContinental Hotels Group, North Asia said, "This
is a really significant achievement for InterContinental
Hotels Group, in one of our fastest growing markets
worldwide.  All of our three key hotel brands operating in
China received top recognition in various categories and
what's even more significant is that our
soon-to-be-rebranded luxury resort in Jiuzhaigou is among
the winners.  This is clear evidence of our commitment in
delivering the standards that our guests have come to
expect of our hotels, and our success in securing
development agreements with the most reputable partners in
the business."

    As China's top mid-scale international brand, Holiday
Inn Hotels & Resorts is a name that is recognised
internationally.  The brand is backed by an impressive
track record spanning more than five decades since the
first Holiday Inn was launched in 1952 in the US.  It is
also the most established international hotel brand in
China, opening its first hotel in Hong Kong in 1975 and in
China in 1986.  There are currently 30 Holiday Inn Hotels
& Resorts properties in operation across Greater China.


    The world's largest hotel group by number of rooms,
InterContinental Hotels Group is also the largest
international hotel group in Greater China. Its current
portfolio includes 52 hotels across four well known brands
in nearly 30 cities across Greater China.

    About InterContinental Hotels Group PLC

    InterContinental Hotels Group PLC of the United Kingdom
[LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is the world's largest hotel
group by number of rooms.  InterContinental Hotels Group
owns, manages, leases or franchises, through various
subsidiaries, over 3,600 hotels and 537,500 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(R) Hotels &
Resorts, Crowne Plaza(R) Hotels & Resorts, Holiday
Inn(R) Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express(R),
Staybridge Suites(R), Candlewood Suites(R) and Hotel
IndigoTM, and also manages the world's largest hotel
loyalty programme, Priority Club(R) Rewards. 

    Asia Pacific is the fastest growing region for
InterContinental Hotels Group worldwide.  The Group's
portfolio in this region includes more than 160 hotels and
over 45,000 guest rooms under the InterContinental(R)
Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza(R) Hotels & Resorts,
Holiday Inn(R) Hotels and Resorts, and Express by Holiday
Inn(R) brands.

    InterContinental Hotels Group offers information and
online reservations for all its hotel brands at
http://www.ichotelsgroup.com and information for the
Priority Club Rewards programme at
http://www.priorityclub.com .

    For the latest news from InterContinental Hotels Group,
visit our online Press Office at http://www.ihgplc.com/media
. 

    For more information, please contact:

     Sharona Tao,
     Brand Public Relations & Communications Manager,
Greater China
     InterContinental Hotels Group
     Tel:   [phone]
     Fax:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]

SOURCE  InterContinental Hotels Group PLC