InterContinental Hotels Group Latin America Opens Holiday Inn Express

InterContinental Hotels Group Latin America Opens Holiday Inn Express Curitiba-Batel

    Business Editors/Travel & Hospitality Writers

    MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 3, 2005--

Reinforcing its Commitment to Brazil, Hotel is the 28th Holiday Inn Brand Property to Open in the Region and Third in City of Curitiba
    InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) (LSE:IHG) (NYSE:IHG) (ADRs), the world's largest and most global hotel company, continues its expansion of the Holiday Inn brand in Latin America with the opening of the 72-room, 9-story Holiday Inn Express Curitiba-Batel.
    The hotel is the 28th Holiday Inn brand property to open in Latin America, and the third IHG property to open in three months in the city of Curitiba, one of Brazil's fastest-growing cities, and capital of the progressive state of Parana in the southeastern corridor of the country.
    The Holiday Inn Express Curitiba-Batel joins the Holiday Inn Express Curitiba-Santa Felicidade, the Holiday Inn Express Curitiba-Airport and the Crowne Plaza Curitiba as IHG hotels within Curitiba.
    It is also the third hotel to be owned and operated by the L.N. Empreendimentos Imobiliarios Ltda, which also owns and manages the Holiday Inn Express Curitiba-Santa Felicidade and the Holiday Inn Express Curitiba-Airport.
    "We have an extremely positive relationship with the principals of L.N. Empreendimentos Imobiliarios Ltda., and are confident that together we can contribute to the ever-increasing growth of Curitiba as a major urban center in the southern states of Brazil," says Alvaro Diago, Area President of InterContinental Hotels Group Latin America. "The strength of the relationship, coupled with the area's dramatic growth as a regional powerhouse, creates a very positive environment for our industry."
    The Holiday Inn Express Curitiba-Batel is ideally located and near major business, entertainment, shopping and nightlife, as well as tourist attractions such as the Jardim Botanico (botanical gardens), the Oscar Niemeyer museum and the Opera de Arame. The hotel's guestrooms feature wireless Internet access, dual-line telephones with voice mail, coffeemakers, mini-bars, hairdryers, irons and ironing boards and in-room safes.
    The hotel's amenities also include meeting rooms with capacity for up to 140 people, a Business Center and a fitness center.
    "Brazil will certainly be the epicenter of growth in our region," continues Diago. "We have the opportunity of having every IHG brand represented within Brazil, and having a long-standing strong presence in key cities such as Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro has allowed us to focus on rapidly up-and-coming cities such as Curitiba."
    For over 58 years, IHG has been serving Latin America and is situated in nearly every key market in Central and South America, making it one of the leading hotel companies in Latin America.

    Note to Editors:

    InterContinental Hotels Group PLC of the United Kingdom (LSE:IHG) (NYSE:IHG) (ADRs) is the world's most global hotel company and the largest by number of rooms. InterContinental Hotels Group owns, manages, leases or franchises, through various subsidiaries, more than 3,500 hotels and 536,000 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(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 Indigo(TM), and also manages the world's largest hotel loyalty program, Priority Club(R) Rewards, with more than 23 million members worldwide. In addition to this, InterContinental Hotels Group has a controlling interest in Britvic, the second largest soft drinks manufacturer in the UK.
    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 program at http://www.priorityclub.com.
    For the latest news from InterContinental Hotels Group, visit our online Press Office at http://www.ihgplc.com/media.

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KEYWORD: FLORIDA UNITED KINGDOM BRAZIL INTERNATIONAL EUROPE LATIN AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: TRAVEL SOURCE: InterContinental Hotels Group

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