IHG to bring the Candlewood Suites® brand to Mexico with the signing of two new properties in the states of Guanajuato and Queretaro

Signing of two new hotels in Guanajuato and Queretaro mark the extended stay brand’s entry into the country

MEXICO, D.F., 2015-4-2 — /Travel PR News/ — InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), one of the world’s leading hotel companies, today announces plans to bring the Candlewood Suites® brand to Mexico with the signing of two new properties in the states of Guanajuato and Queretaro. Both hotels are expected to open in 2016 and will be the brand’s first hotels outside of the U.S. and Canada. With 322 hotels currently open and another 89 in the pipeline, the Candlewood Suites brand is poised for strong growth in the Americas region.

Robert Radomski, Vice President, Brand Management, Extended Stay Brands, IHG said: “We are excited to bring the Candlewood Suites brand’s relaxed and home-like extended stay experience to Mexico. Guanajuato and Queretaro are both experiencing sustained industrial and economic development. This will bring an influx of business travelers needing a long term hotel stay, making the Candlewood Suites brand the perfect fit.”

Both hotels, owned by OVQ Celaya, S.A. de C.V., and managed by Diamond Lodging, will be new build developments with 100 suites each. The Candlewood Suites Celaya hotel in Guanajuato will be located on Av. Eje Nor Oriente, in the main commercial area on the east side of the city, a little more than two miles west of downtown and less than a mile from the Universidad de Celaya. With a strategic geographical location accessible by well-traveled federal highways, Celaya is the main connection between Guanajuanto and other parts of Mexico.

The Candlewood Suites Juriquilla hotel is in the state of Queretaro and will be located on Lote 8 Manzana 3 Etapa1, Fracción 1 del Fraccionamiento Juriquilla Santa Fe., which is less than two miles south of Parque Industrial Queretaro, one of the state’s most important business parks and home to more than 70 international companies. Three additional business parks, Jurica, Benito and La Cruz, are also located within three miles of the hotel.

Gerardo Murray, Regional Vice President, Distribution and Commercial Marketing, Mexico, Latin America and Caribbean, IHG added: “IHG’s experience of building brands and operating hotels in Mexico gives us a unique market leadership position. With very few hotel companies operating extended stay properties in Mexico, we have the opportunity to satisfy an unmet need by introducing the Candlewood Suites brand to the region.”

The Candlewood Suites brand is part of IHG’s broad portfolio of brands operating in nearly 100 countries and territories. IHG currently has more than 130 hotels in Mexico under six different brands. The company has proven strength in acquiring brands with unique personalities and enhancing their potential. IHG acquired the Candlewood Suites brand in 2003, and more license agreements were signed in the first six months under IHG’s leadership than in the three years prior. IHG is continuing to reinforce its established track record of building iconic brands with the recent acquisition of Kimpton® Hotels & Restaurants.

Providing friendly, yet non-intrusive service, the Candlewood Suites brand offers independent guests room to be themselves. At the hotels, guests can expect to find spacious studio and one-bedroom suites with fully equipped kitchens and executive desks. The brand has unique offerings including the Candlewood Cupboard®, a 24-hour in-hotel convenience store which sells products including breakfast items, snacks, refreshments and easy to prepare meals, and the Lending Locker, where guests can borrow common household items to use during their stay.

Reservations can be made by calling 1-888-CANDLEWOOD or by going to IHG.com/Candlewood. The Candlewood Suites brand participates in IHG’s loyalty program, IHG® Rewards Club. The industry’s first and largest hotel rewards program is free, and guests can enroll at IHGRewardsClub.com, by downloading the IHG® app, by calling 1-888-211-9874 or by inquiring at the front desk of any of IHG’s more than 4,800 hotels worldwide. Guests can also book an environmentally-friendly hotel stay at any of our IHG Green Engage®enrolled hotels.

About Candlewood Suites® Hotels
Candlewood Suites® hotels provide a relaxed, casual and home-like experience for extended stay travelers. The brand has more than 320 properties located throughout North America with an additional 89 in the pipeline. At Candlewood Suites hotels, guests find spacious studio and one-bedroom suites each with its own fully equipped kitchen, executive desk, DVD player and recliner and/or sofa bed. The Candlewood Gym and free Guest Laundry are open around the clock, and guests can take advantage of the 24-hour Candlewood Cupboard®, where they will find breakfast items, snacks, refreshments, entrées and necessities available on the honor system. Guests can borrow items they may need during their extended visit, including a desk fan, extra lighting, larger kitchen appliances and more, from the new Lending Locker. Candlewood Suites hotels offer guests all of this at a very comfortable price.

For more information about the brand or to book a reservation, visit http://www.ihg.com/candlewood or call 1-888-CANDLEWOOD. Find Candlewood Suites hotels on Twitterhttp://www.twitter.com/Candlewood or Facebook www.Facebook.com/CandlewoodSuites.

Media Contacts:
Dolores Ávalos Raz Guzmán, Ávalos Asociados, Comunicación Corporativa, davalos@avalosyasociados.com, 5251-5247 ó Cel. 55-3707-1713
Caroline Huston, IHG, caroline.huston@ihg.com , (770) 604-2495

Notes to Editors:

IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global organisation with a broad portfolio of hotel brands, includingInterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, HUALUXE® Hotels and Resorts,Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo®, EVEN™ Hotels,Holiday Inn® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites® and Candlewood Suites®. In January 2015, IHG acquiredKimpton Hotels & Restaurants, the world’s leading boutique hotel business.

IHG manages IHG® Rewards Club, the world’s first and largest hotel loyalty programme with over 84 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 over 4,800 hotels and more than 710,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries, with over 1,200 hotels in its development pipeline. Over 350,000 people work across IHG’s hotels and corporate offices worldwide.

In January 2015 we completed the acquisition of Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, adding 62 hotels (11,300 rooms) to our system size and 16 hotels to our development pipeline.

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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