SINGAPORE,  April 2011 - Holiday Inn, the most widely recognised lodging brand in the world, today announced the relaunch of Holiday Inn Chiangmai, Holiday Inn Resort Regent Beach Cha-Am, and Holiday Inn Resort Phi Phi Island, completing the Thailand phase of the US$1 billion Holiday Inn global brand refresh.  

Holiday Inn is part of IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON: IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)], the world's largest hotel group by number of rooms. The global brand refresh was first announced in 2007 and is the biggest rebranding exercise in the hospitality industry. The relaunched Holiday Inn properties in Chiangmai, Cha-Am and Phi Phi Island are the latest addition to the more than 3,100 relaunched hotels and 430,000 rooms worldwide.

"We are delighted to complete the Thailand phase of the refresh project with the Holiday Inn Chiangmai, Holiday Inn Resort Regent Beach Cha-Am, and Holiday Inn Resort Phi Phi Island," said Alan Watts, Vice President of Operations, South East Asia, IHG. "Attuned with the requirements of the modern and dynamic global traveler, the Holiday Inn refresh strengthens and repositions the brand at the forefront of the highly competitive hospitality/travel industry, specifically in Thailand, which remains one of the most popular travel destinations in Asia."

"Although tourism in Thailand dipped in recent years due to unprecedented internal events, Holiday Inn has always been highly optimistic, and rightly so, as 2011 sees Thailand reemerging strongly once again as a business and leisure destination of choice for local, regional, and international travelers," Alan Watts continued.

Holiday Inn is the world's best known hotel brand - nine out of ten travellers have stayed at a Holiday Inn at some point in their lives. With nearly 140 Holiday Inn hotels in key locations across Asia Pacific, the refresh program creates a more contemporary brand image as part of the drive to increase quality and consistency across the hotel's global portfolio.

It underscores Holiday Inn's campaign brand proposition of championing the "real you".  Its campaign tagline "Stay You" promises a renewed focus on providing a great Holiday Inn experience at every customer touch point from arrival to departure.  It does this through modern amenities and facilities that travelers truly need, an up-to-date sensory experience (look, feel, and scent) including a new logo and signage that is consistent across all Holiday Inn hotels globally.

Another key component of the refresh is the Holiday Inn "Stay Real" service culture, allowing guests to be as comfortable and relaxed as they can be, so they can "Stay You" - and be themselves no matter who they are, or whichever Holiday Inn hotel they're staying anywhere in the world.

As a new standard across all refreshed Holiday Inn hotels, each room accommodation offers the following: guest beds are made using crisp, white bedding with pillows that come in two comfort levels: soft and firm; a sitting area with a lounge chair; cable television; amenities like coffee maker, hairdryer, iron and ironing board; bathrooms with specially designed showerhead that offers superior pressure, as well as a signature shower curtain with curved rod; business-focused necessities like an ergonomic work station, data ports, high speed Internet access and  Wi-Fi capabilities, and complimentary newspapers, among others.    

Holiday Inn Chiang Mai, Holiday Inn Resort Regent Beach Cha-Am and Holiday Inn Resort Phi Phi Island are managed by seasoned IHG general managers Mr. Simon Douthett, Ms. Sandra Kloprogge and Mr. Dominique Ronge, respectively.  They now complete the seven Holiday Inn hotels and resorts in Thailand, which also include Holiday Inn Silom Bangkok, Holiday Inn Phuket, and Holiday Inn Bangkok, which were relaunched earlier; as well as the newly-built Holiday Inn Pattaya - all managed by the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG).

Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts participate in IHG's loyalty program, Priority Club® Rewards, the industry's first and largest loyalty program with 56 million members. Priority Club Rewards membership is free and guests can enrol by logging on at priorityclub.com, by calling 1-888-211-9874 or by inquiring at the front desk of these hotels or any of IHG's more than 4,400 hotels worldwide.

Holiday Inn Chiangmai
Conveniently located on the banks of the Mae Ping River, Holiday Inn Chiangmai is only a 10-minute drive away from Chiangmai International Airport; five minutes to the business and shopping districts, including the famous Chiangmai night bazaar. The main sightseeing attractions, including all five golf courses in Chiangmai, the elephant camp, hill tribe villages, handicrafts and wood carving factories, hot springs and waterfalls, are all within a half-hour drive from the Holiday Inn Chiangmai. With 526 spacious rooms and suites, it is the only riverside hotel on the northern bank offering expansive mountain and riverside views from both the guest and function rooms. The hotel also has the largest and most flexible conference facilities in Northern Thailand, with 15 newly refurbished function venues that overlook Mae Ping River. Holiday Inn Chiangmai is managed by Mr. Simon Douthett, General Manager.

Holiday Inn Resort Regent Beach Cha-Am
Surrounded by tropical gardens and situated on the famous long white sand beach, Holiday Inn Resort Regent Beach Cha-Am offers a diverse range of accommodation styles. The Main Wing comprises 367 rooms surrounded by the lush gardens. The Regency Wing and Anavana Villas, which boast 160 Regency Rooms and suites, and 33 villas, respectively, offer a more up-scale beachfront accommodation.   Located close to the Cha-Am and Hua Hin night markets, the resort has 6 golf courses located within 40 minutes drive. Recreational facilities include its popular Tea Tree Spa, which offers indoor treatment rooms as well as outdoor treatments lounges along the beachfront;  outdoor Jacuzzi; various sports facilities; picturesque jogging and bicycling trails, and more.  Holiday Inn Resort Regent Beach Cha-Am also offers one of the largest convention and meeting centres in Cha-Am/Hua Hin, a ballroom and a lakeside pavilion ideal for exhibitions and banquets, as well as wireless Internet access. The resort was host to the ASEAN Summit in 2009 gala dinner. Holiday Inn Cha-Am is managed by Ms. Sandra Kloprogge, General Manager. 

Holiday Inn Resort Phi Phi Island
Situated in one of the best diving sites in the world, Holiday Inn Resort Phi Phi is fully accessible by speed boat or ferry from Phuket or Krabi. Guests from all over the world escape to Phi Phi to experience the tropical haven of Laem Tong Beach national park where the resort is located.  Holiday Inn Resort Phi Phi, the only international hotel chain in the island, features 77 private bungalows and 20 contemporary new studios built on the beachfront and throughout 20 acres of landscaped tropical gardens. Each room is equipped with modern amenities, including a 32- inch LCD flat screen television and DVD player; a wireless Internet connection; and crisp, new triple-sheeted bedding with two sets of ‘soft and firm' pillows that offer guests two comfort levels; new bathroom amenities, and more. The Resort also offers a wide range of activities, from water sports like snorkeling, diving, canoeing, kayaking, fishing and long-tail boat charters, to beach football, volleyball, tennis, and more. Holiday Inn resort Phi Phi Island is managed by Mr. Dominique Ronge, General Manager.

About Holiday Inn
With more than 1,300 hotels worldwide, Holiday Inn Hotels is the most widely recognized lodging brand in the world. In fact, Holiday Inn was one of the first international hotel brands to establish a presence in China in 1984. Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts provides the services that business travellers need, while also offering a comfortable atmosphere where all people can relax and enjoy amenities such as restaurants and room service, swimming pools, fitness centres and comfortable lounges.  The casual atmosphere and amenities such as meeting and on-site business facilities, KidSuites rooms and, Kids Eat and Stay Free programs, demonstrate the long-standing commitment of Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts to serving travellers and have helped to establish the brand as "America's Favorite Hotel."  For more information about Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Resorts, including IHG's new vacation resort brand Holiday Inn Club Vacations, or to book reservations, call 1-800-HOLIDAY or visit http://www.holidayinn.com/.

About IHG
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is the world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms. IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns, through various subsidiaries, over 4,400 hotels and more than 640,000 guest rooms in 100 countries and territories around the world. The Group owns a portfolio of well recognised and respected hotel brands including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo®, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites® and Candlewood Suites® and also manages the world’s largest hotel loyalty programme, Priority Club® Rewards with 56 million members worldwide.

IHG has almost 1,300 hotels in its development pipeline, which is expected to create 160,000 jobs worldwide over the next few years.

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Group’s holding company and is incorporated in Great Britain and registered in England and Wales.

IHG offers information and online reservations for all its hotel brands at http://www.ihg.com/media and information for the Priority Club Rewards programme at www.priorityclub.com. For our latest news visit www.ihg.com/media, Twitter www.twitter.com/ihgplc or YouTube http://www.youtube.com/ihgplc