InterContinental Hotels Group expands in Alberta with the opening of new Holiday Inn Express® Hotel & Suites in Spruce Grove

Convenient location for both business and leisure travelers

SPRUCE GROVE, AB., 2014-9-23 — /Travel PR News/ — InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), one of the world’s leading hotel companies, today announced the opening of a new Holiday Inn Express® Hotel & Suites in Spruce Grove following an $18 million investment by the ownership group. This 79,500-square-foot property has been added to IHG’s hotels in Alberta, is located close to some of the city’s major attractions such as TransAtla Tri Leisure Centre, Fuhr Sports Park and 20 minutes away from West Edmonton Mall. Other neighboring attractions include the Tri-Village which features many shops and popular eateries and the Acheson Industrial Park, a major employment area, home to more than 200 businesses.

“Holiday Inn Express hotels are designed to be the smart choice for value-conscious business and leisure travelers,” said Heather Balsley, senior vice president, Americas Core Brands & Brand Operations. “With more than 2,200 properties worldwide and nearly 500 more in the pipeline, the Holiday Inn Express portfolio continues to provide our guests with an enhanced-stay experience at a great value.  We are proud to welcome this hotel into the Holiday Inn Portfolio of Brands with the brand-new sign and everything it represents.”

The Holiday Inn Express brand is one of the largest and fastest growing hotel brands in the industry, and in order to meet the ever-changing needs of its guest, IHG invested in the $1 billion Holiday Inn global brand re-launch, the largest in hospitality history. The re-launch continues to drive increased quality and consistency across the global portfolio, and new hotels feature a contemporary image with emphasis on arrival and welcome services, guestroom and guest bath comfort and a redesigned logo and signage.

The four-story, 130-room hotel includes 42 suites, an indoor swimming pool, and 3,000 square feet of meeting space for up to 200 people. Through IHG’s Green Engage initiative, the Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Spruce Grove upholds IHG’s commitment to sustainability through its installation of an energy management system, the implementation of LED and energy efficient lights bulbs throughout the hotel, an extensive recycling program, the utilization of green cleaning chemicals and the use of the innovative MOLOK garbage disposal system.

“We want to be a hotel that Spruce Grove is proud to call their own”, said Jon Sholter, general manager, Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Spruce Grove. “Our hotel is a great representation of the warm and welcoming nature of our community and we know that both business and leisure travelers will enjoy the many amenities our hotel offers.”

The new hotel offers guests a pleasurable experience with amenities that include a 24-hour fitness center, complimentary high-speed Internet access and a business center. Business travelers will find large desks with ergonomic chairs, free local and toll free phones with private voicemail, and complimentary newspapers. The complimentary Express Start™ breakfast bar offers a full range of breakfast items, and now features healthy breakfast items, including Chobani yogurt, whole wheat English muffins, Special K cereal with red berries, new oatmeal flavors in cups, and a toppings bar – for yogurt, cereal and pancakes. Additionally, the breakfast bar continues to offer a rotation of egg and meat selections, biscuits, fruit, the brand’s proprietary cinnamon roll, and Smart Roast® coffee. Guest rooms will feature contemporary styling, comfortable queen or king-sized beds, a sitting area with a lounge chair and an in-room coffee machine featuring complimentarySmart Roast 100% Arabica coffee. The SimplySmart™ shower incorporates a proprietary Stay Smart™ Kohler showerhead, signature shower curtain with curved rod. Upgraded 100 percent cotton terry towels and Bath & Body Works White Citrus bath products are also included. 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 Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Spruce Grove, owned by 1779994 Alberta Ltd, and managed by Perfect Hospitality Inc. and PHI Hotel Group, is franchised by an affiliate of IHG. The Holiday Inn Express brand is part of IHG’s diverse family of brands in nearly 100 countries and territories, and meets the needs of guests, whatever the occasion – whether an overnight getaway, a business trip, a family celebration or a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The Holiday Inn Portfolio of Brands participates in IHG’s hotel rewards 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 4,700 hotels worldwide.

About Holiday Inn Express® Hotels
Holiday Inn Express® hotels are a part of the IHG brand family and are the ideal choice for the smart traveler, offering them a great night’s rest while helping them be productive on the go. Fresh, clean, modern 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). Launched in 1991, the Holiday Inn Express® brand is one of the largest and fastest growing brands in the hotel industry, opening hotels at a rate of two per week on average.There are currently more than 2,200 Holiday Inn Express hotel locations around the globe. For more information or to book a reservation, visit ihg.com/holidayinnexpress or call 1-800-HOLIDAY. Find us on twitter twitter.com/HIExpress or Facebook facebook.com/holidayinnexpress.

Media Contact:
Brent Marson, Hill+Knowlton Strategies,brent.marson@hkstrategies.ca, +1 (416) 413-4633

Notes to Editors:

IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global organization with a broad portfolio of nine hotel brands, including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo®, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites®, Candlewood Suites®, EVEN™ Hotels and HUALUXE® Hotels and Resorts.

IHG manages IHG® Rewards Club, the world’s first and largest hotel loyalty program with over 80 million members worldwide. The program was relaunched in July 2013, offering enhanced benefits for members including free internet across all hotels, globally.

IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns over 4,700 hotels and 693,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries, with almost 1,200 hotels in its 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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