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to Hold 64 Regional Franchise Meetings; Pricing Strategy, Best Practices Top the Agenda |
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| ATLANTA (April 16, 2004) � InterContinental Hotels Group [LON: IHG,
NYSE: IHG (ADRs)] and the IAHI, the international association of IHG owners
and operators, have announced plans for a series of 64 regional franchise
meetings, to take place throughout the U.S. and Canada from late April
through June.
The meetings will bring together owners, general managers, directors of sales and guest service managers from approximately 2,500 IHG hotels to participate in sessions on pricing strategy, distribution channel management, quality and other key topics. A new feature for the 2004 meetings is a best practices roundtable, hosted by leaders from within the IAHI. The discussion topics will center around creative and cost-effective methods of renovating as well as sharing proven ideas for reducing operating costs. �The regional meetings are a strong example of how our franchise association and the company�s leadership work as a team to keep IHG hotels on the leading competitive edge,� said IAHI Chairman Leroy Lail. �Sharing best practices on driving revenue and cutting costs continues to be a priority for us, and this series of conferences provides an excellent venue for doing that.� Each meeting will include individual brand breakout sessions for attendees from Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Crowne Plaza and Staybridge Suites properties. The brand workshops also will feature first-ever sessions for Candlewood Suites hotels. The Candlewood Suites brand was acquired by IHG in December 2003. A tabletop exhibit by leading IAHI Associate Members rounds out the agenda for the one-day conferences. More than 3,500 people are expected to attend, the largest number of regional meeting participants in the company�s and the association�s history. �Our annual regional meetings give us a first-hand opportunity to educate, network and build an even stronger system of hotels,� said Tim Genovese, vice president, Hotel Performance Support for InterContinental Hotels Group. �We use these meetings as another touch point for providing important tactical information to our hotel operators at the time market conditions warrant. Armed with this valuable information, our hotels can navigate the dynamic marketplace while growing more revenue.� About the IAHI
The IAHI - Today The IAHI represents its membership in working together with InterContinental Hotels Group for the purpose of maintaining the highest professional hospitality standards for its brands. Our members own and operate InterContinental Hotels Group' brands (to include Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn SunSpree Resorts, Holiday Inn Garden Court, Holiday Inn Select, Crowne Plaza Hotels, Crowne Plaza Resorts, and Staybridge Suites hotels). The Board of Directors of the IAHI are franchisees of InterContinental Hotels Group elected annually from the IAHI membership. Each director works on a voluntary basis, committing approximately 200 hours annually to association business. The board members chair a variety of brand and standing committees where an additional 100 franchisees volunteer significant time meeting throughout the year. Up to two executives from InterContinental Hotels Group also serve on the Board, as well as the IAHI President. IAHI members own and operate InterContinental Hotels Group brand hotels worldwide, including Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn SunSpree Resorts, Holiday Inn Garden Court, Holiday Inn Select, Crowne Plaza, Crowne Plaza Resort and Staybridge Suites hotels. The IAHI is the oldest association of owners in the hotel industry, comprising more than 2,000 members in the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Canada, Mexico and Latin America. The IAHI represents its membership in working together with InterContinental Hotels Group for the purpose of maintaining the highest professional hospitality standards for its brands. About IHG InterContinental Hotels Group PLC of the United Kingdom [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is the world's most global hotel company and the largest by number of rooms. InterContinental Hotels Group owns, manages, leases or franchises, through various subsidiaries,more than 3,500 hotels and 535,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories around the world (www.ichotelsgroup.com). The Group owns a portfolio of well recognized and respected hotel brands including InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza( Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites, and Candlewood Suites, and also has a controlling interest in Britvic, the second largest soft drinks manufacturer in the UK. |
| Contact:
Ann Wilson
WhitneyWebster
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| Also See: | Patrick Imbardelli, InterContinental Hotel Group�s Managing Director for Asia Pacific, is �Divorcing� Owners Who Don�t Fit In with the Group�s Values / Steve Shellum HOTEL Asia Pacific / November 2003 |
| InterContinental Hotels Offering Current and Prospective Franchisees a Multi-brand Marketing Platform / January 2004 |