Holiday Inn Express® Opens in Downtown Charleston, South Carolina

Hotel Opens Following a Multimillion Dollar Conversion

ATLANTA – March 5, 2013 – (RealEstateRama) — IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON: IHG, NYSE: IHG (ADRs)], one of the world’s leading global hotel companies, announces the opening of the Holiday Inn Express Charleston Downtown-Ashley River, in the heart of downtown Charleston.

Offering views of the Ashley River, the new hotel is next to the, the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center and within two miles of Charleston’s historic district. It is also just across the street from Brittlebank Park, which features a state-of-the-art playground and fishing pier, and within walking distance to Joe Riley Baseball Field, home of the Charleston RiverDogs.

Having recently undergone an extensive renovation with all -new furniture, fixtures and equipment, all 153 rooms in the eight-story hotel at 146 Lockwood Boulevard include granite countertops and walkout balconies.

“Holiday Inn Express hotels are designed to be the smart choice for value-conscious business and leisure travelers,” said Heather Balsley, senior vice president, Brand Management, the Americas, IHG. “With more than 2,100 properties worldwide, the Holiday Inn Express portfolio continues to expand in markets like Charleston, providing our guests with an enhanced stay experience at a great value. We are proud to welcome this hotel into the Holiday Inn brand family with the brand new sign and everything it represents.”

The Holiday Inn Express Charleston Downtown-Ashley River comes on the heels of the Holiday Inn Historic Charleston Downtown which opened recently, in January. The Holiday Inn brand family’s $1BN global brand relaunch, the largest project of its kind in hospitality history, continues to drive increased quality and consistency across the global portfolio. The new hotels will feature a contemporary image with emphasis on arrival and welcome services, guestroom and guest bath comfort and a redesigned logo and signage.

The property also features complimentary high-speed Internet access available throughout the hotel, a fitness center, large outdoor pool area, a 24-hour business center and almost 700 square feet of meeting space accommodating about 50 people.

“It is so exciting to be a part of the Holiday Inn brand family and add another Holiday Inn Express to both the Charleston area and our Charlestowne Hotels portfolio,” said the hotel’s general manager, Rebecca Ruttiger. “We are building a great staff to match this great new product. We look forward to having a wonderful partnership with Medical University of South Carolina, the Charleston RiverDogs, and other area businesses and hotels to continue to enhance this Historic City.”

Guest rooms feature contemporary styling, a 32-inch HD flat screen TV, 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 travelers will find large desks with ergonomic chairs, free high-speed internet access and free local phone and toll free, phones with private voicemail and complimentary USA TODAY® newspapers. The SimplySmart™ shower will incorporate 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 enjoy the SimplySmart™ bedding collection, where they will find crisp fresh bedding that features an attractive decorative throw, a medium-weight duvet blanket and soft, 200 thread-count sheets.

The complimentary Express Start® breakfast bar features a full range of breakfast items, including a rotation of egg and meat selections, biscuits, yogurt, fruit, pancakes, the brand’s proprietary cinnamon roll, and Smart Roast® coffee.

The Holiday Inn Express Charleston Downtown-Ashley River, owned by Charleston OPCO, LLC, and managed by Charlestowne Hotels, is franchised by an affiliate of IHG. Reservations can be made by calling 1-800-HOLIDAY or by going to www.hiexpress.com.

Holiday Inn Express participates in IHG’s guest loyalty program, Priority Club® Rewards, the industry’s first and largest guest loyalty program with 71 million members.  Priority Club Rewards membership is free and guests can enroll by logging on at priorityclub.com, by calling 1-888-211-9874 or by inquiring at the front desk of this hotel or any of IHG’s more than 4,600 hotels worldwide.

About Holiday Inn Express
Holiday Inn Express hotels are modern hotels for value-oriented travelers.  Fresh, clean and uncomplicated, Holiday Inn Express hotels offer competitive rates for both business and leisure travelers.  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 2,100 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 www.hiexpress.com.

Media Contacts:
Manjusha Sharma, Holiday Inn & Holiday Inn Express, manjusha.sharma (at) ihg (dot) com, +1(770) 604-8781
Sarah-Ann Soffer, Holiday Inn & Holiday Inn Express, sarahann.soffer (at) ihg (dot) com, +1(770) 604-2707

Notes to Editors:

IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global organization with nine hotel brands including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo®, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites®, Candlewood Suites®, EVEN™ Hotels and HUALUXE™ Hotels & Resorts. IHG also manages Priority Club® Rewards, the world’s first and largest hotel loyalty program with over 71 million members worldwide.

IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns over 4,600 hotels and more than 675,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories. With more than 1,000 hotels in its development pipeline, IHG expects to recruit around 90,000 people into additional roles across its estate 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.

Visit www.ihg.com for hotel information and reservations and www.priorityclub.com for more on Priority Club Rewards. For our latest news, visit www.ihg.com/media, www.twitter.com/ihg, www.facebook.com/ihg or www.youtube.com/ihgplc.