IHG appoints comedian Rob Riggle as the Holiday Inn Express® brand’s very first Creative Director and Breakfast Excellence Honcho

Kicks off New Role by Launching Contest to Name Hotel Brand’sSuper Smart Pancake Machine

ATLANTA, 2015-7-10 — /Travel PR News/ — IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group), one of the world’s leading hotel companies, today announces a massive leap in the field of breakfast superiority with the hiring of actor/comedian Rob Riggle as the Holiday Inn Express^® brand’s very first Creative Director and Breakfast Excellence Honcho. In this newly created and very importantrole, Riggle will be responsible for delivering comedic genius and driving Express Start^™ breakfast enthusiasm for the brand through a variety of unique programs and content rolling out over the summer and fall of 2015.

Jennifer Gribble, Vice President, Holiday Inn Express^® Brand, Americas, IHG commented: “Guests have told us that breakfast is one of the most influential factors when choosing where they stay, so the creation of this new position was a no brainer. In this role, Rob’s sole focus is to tell the world about our Express Start breakfast bar experience in the humorous and engaging way guests have come to expect from the Holiday Inn Express brand. His creativity, wit and colossal appetite for pancakes make him the perfect addition to the Holiday Inn Express team.”

The Holiday Inn Express brand will feature Riggle – actor, comedian and super smart man – in its latest Stay Smart^® campaign spots, launching today. As his first order of breakfast business, Riggle is crowdsourcing a name for the brand’s incredibly smart, one-touch pancake machine – the first of several contributions to follow. Throughout the month of July, Riggle is challenging pancake lovers and breakfast aficionados to submit their best ideas for a chance to win a trip to Montreal or Vermont, or as Riggle calls them, “maple syrup Valhalla.” Entries will be judged* based on their creativity, humor and breakfast-relevancy. To enter for a chance to win, and for full contest rules, visit http://pancakes.hiexpress.com/.

Rob Riggle, Creative Director and Breakfast Excellence Honcho, Holiday Inn Express^® Brand, Americas, IHG said: “I’ve eaten breakfast my entire life, so I feel like I’ve been training for this job for quite some time, and it’s that commitment to the morning meal that has prepared me for brilliance in this role. I’m excited to use the skills I’ve been honing for years to bring breakfast at Holiday Inn Express hotels to the next level, starting with their freaking awesome one-touch pancake machine.”

Riggle is collaborating with the brand to contribute big ideas around when, where and how travelers experience the Holiday Inn Express brand’s delicious breakfast, which will be introduced in the coming months. Over the summer and fall, Riggle’s groundbreaking breakfast innovations will be featured on staysmart.com as well as the Holiday Inn Express brand’s YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE 50 UNITED STATES (& D.C.) 18 AND OLDER, AND CANADA (EXCL. QC) WHO ARE AT LEAST THE AGE OF MAJORITY.  VOID IN QC AND WHERE PROHIBITED. Ends 7/31/15.For Official Rules, Instant Win Game odds disclosures, and prize descriptions, visithttp://pancakes.hiexpress.com/. If Canadian resident, mathematical skill-testing question must be correctly answered to win. 1 Trip Prize and 212 Gift Card Prizes (approximate retail values from $10 USD to $5,888.16 USD) available to be won.  Sponsor: Six Continents Hotels, Inc., 3 Ravinia Drive, Suite 100, Atlanta, GA 30346.

About the Holiday Inn Express^® brand
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 with new healthier offerings, free high-speed Internet access and free local phone calls (U.S. and Canada only). There are currently more than 2,375 Holiday Inn Express hotel locations around the globe.  For more information about Holiday Inn Express hotels or to book reservations, visit www.ihg.com/hiexpress.Find us on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/hiexpress or Facebook www.Facebook.com/holidayinnexpress.

Media Contacts:
Jordan Worrall, Holiday Inn ^® Brand, jordan.worrall@ihg.com,
+1 (770) 604-5010
Stefanie Samarripa, Weber Shandwick,ssamarripa@webershandwick.com, +1 (212) 445-8240

Notes to Editors: 
IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global organisation with a broad portfolio of hotel brands, including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, HUALUXE® Hotels and Resorts, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo®, EVEN™ Hotels, Holiday Inn® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites® and Candlewood Suites®.
IHG manages IHG® Rewards Club, the world’s first and largest hotel loyalty programme with nearly 86 million members worldwide. The programme was relaunched in July 2013, offering enhanced benefits for members including free internet across all hotels, globally.
IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns more than 4,900 hotels and 720,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries, with more than 1,200 hotels in its development pipeline. Over 350,000 people work across IHG’s hotels and corporate offices worldwide.

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.ihgrewardsclub.com for more on IHG Rewards Club. For our latest news, visit: www.ihg.com/media, www.twitter.com/ihg,www.facebook.com/ihg or www.youtube.com/ihgplc.

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