InterContinental Hotels Group opens Holiday Inn Resort Fort Walton Beach in Florida

Resort located near several water and adventure parks

ATLANTA, 2014-5-21 — /Travel PR News/ — InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) [LON: IHG, NYSE: IHG (ADRs)] today announced the opening of the Holiday Inn Resort Fort Walton Beach. The beachfront resort is located directly on the Gulf of Mexico in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, with stunning ocean views.

“The Holiday Inn Resort brand continues to grow in key vacation destinations, and we are thrilled to welcome this property into the Holiday Inn® Portfolio of Brands,” said Heather Balsley, senior vice president, Americas Holiday Inn Brand Family. “The brand is one guests have come to know and trust, aimed at providing family vacation experiences that create lasting memories at our diverse group of properties.”

The Holiday Inn Resort Fort Walton Beach is located at 1299 Miracle Strip Parkway and directly across the street from the Emerald Coast Convention Center, with the Eglin Air Force Base and Hurlburt Field both just a short drive away. Additionally, the hotel is conveniently located near other local attractions such as the Gulfarium Marine Adventure ParkBig Kahuna’s Water & Adventure Park and The Track Family Recreational Center.

The 152-room resort includes five floors, and features KidSuites®Rooms which are smaller rooms within a guestroom, designed specifically with kids in mind to include bunk beds, themed décor and a TV with electronic video games. The resort has a well-equipped fitness center, business center, game room and 2,500 sq. feet of beachfront meeting space, as well as an outdoor pool with a lazy river and waterfall, hot tub, indoor pool and a Kids Club, an activity program for the whole family offering free on-site activities. On-site activities include Dive-Inn movies by the pool and interactive pirate and mermaid shows. Guests can also enjoy dining for breakfast, lunch and dinner the Riptides Restaurant and Sports Bar as well as grab cocktails at the poolside tiki bar.

“We are excited to join the growing Holiday Inn Resort brand portfolio,” said Keith Myers, general manager. “This property is located in an ideal resort destination with many leisure activities for guests to enjoy close by and we look forward to providing guests with the opportunity to make lasting memories at our resort with their family and friends.”

The Holiday Inn Resort Fort Walton Beach participates in IHG Green Engage – IHG’s proprietary online sustainability tool. This unique program enables the hotel to identify means to conserve resources, increase energy savings and ably respond to any future increases in energy prices or carbon taxes.

The Holiday Inn brand was conceived as a way to bring the joy of travel to families in a fun, affordable and comfortable way. The brand’s innovative approach changed the way millions of people travel, and ended up bringing the whole world together. Now, over 62 years later, the brand continues to evolve to meet the demands of today’s traveller. That’s why IHG invested in the $1 billion Holiday Inn global brand relaunch, the largest in hospitality history, which included the transition of the Holiday Inn Resort brand from the Holiday Inn SunSpree®Resorts brand in 2007. The relaunch 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 Holiday Inn Resort Fort Walton Beach is owned by Emerald Breeze Resort group, LLC and operated by Innisfree Hotels Group and is franchised by an affiliate of IHG. The Holiday Inn Resort 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 Brand Family 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 the Holiday Inn Resort® brand
With 38 properties worldwide, the Holiday Inn Resort brand offers family fun and relaxation from a brand name guests know and trust. Located in many of the world’s leading resort destinations, each property makes the most of its great location and offers quality accommodations, facilities and activities.  Guests enjoy amenities such as multiple food options, whether poolside or in a restaurant, swimming pools, fitness centers as well as tailored services for children such as KidSuites®Rooms and a Children’s Activity Program. All Holiday Inn Resort properties also offer nightly on-site entertainment from live bands and karaoke to comedy shows. For more information about the Holiday Inn Resort brand or to book reservations, call 1-800-HOLIDAYor visit www.ihg.com/holidayinnresort.

Media Contacts:
Lindsay Cameron, Holiday Inn Resort® Hotels,lindsay.cameron@ihg.com, (770) 604-8686
Sarah-Ann Soffer, Holiday Inn Resort® Hotels, sarahann.soffer@ihg.com, (770) 604-2707

Notes to Editors:

IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global organisation 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 programme with nearly 79 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 4,700 hotels and 688,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories, with more than 1,100 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 orwww.youtube.com/ihgplc.