Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec (January 28, 2010) � IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON: IHG, NYSE: IHG (ADRs)], the world's largest hotel group by number of rooms, announced today that the company�s first sustainable hotel in Canada and the first of its type in Quebec will officially open today in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec.  The Holiday Inn Express® and Suites Saint-Hyacinthe has been built to meet the criteria of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System for its sustainable practices.  

Holiday Inn Express and Suites Saint-Hyacinthe is owned and managed by Hôtel M Inc, under a license agreement with a company in the InterContinental Hotels Group and is located at 1500 West Casavant Blvd, Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec. Telephone: 450-251-1111. 
 
The Holiday Inn Express and Suites Saint-Hyacinthe features several key amenities that create a green environment, with a high efficiency energy distribution, ultra-insulated building, and LED and low voltage fluorescent lighting.  The property has employed several key factors to reduce its carbon footprint including:

• Furniture all locally made within 20 kilometres of the hotel 
• Cement used from a demolished bridge as gravel under and around the hotel
• White roof to reflect sun�s heat 
• Special heat capturing water coils
• Custom made natural fiber mattresses (with bamboo and soya bases)

Located 30 minutes away from Montreal, the 94-room hotel is a part of the new �M� Lifestyle Centre in Saint-Hyacinthe. The Lifestyle Centre is designed to be the shopping destination for the entire surrounding region and will include restaurants, shopping, a public market, houses and apartments.  The hotel is easily accessible to visitors from any direction using Highway 20 and a short drive to tourist attractions such as the Congress Centre and various festivals.  
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The new-build property also showcases the Holiday Inn Express brand�s new sign, which is the seal of approval that this hotel exemplifies the standards of the $1 billion Holiday Inn brand relaunch program.  
 
Standard Holiday Inn Express hotel guest rooms feature comfortable queen or king-sized beds, a sitting area with a lounge chair and an in-room coffee machine featuring complimentary Smart Roast 100% Arabica coffee.  Business travellers will find large desks, ergonomic chairs, free high-speed internet access, free local and toll free phone calls (U.S. and Canada only) and phones with private voicemail.  The Saint-Hyacinthe property offers a variety of additional amenities including 32� LCD TVs in all guestrooms, a 24-hour business centre, an indoor heated pool, more than 1,000 square feet of meeting space and a state-of-the-art fitness centre with an LCD flat panel TV.  The hotel also offers 25 Business Class Suites, providing a relaxing and pampering oasis with a king bed or two queen beds, living room, hospitality unit and work desk with padded chair.  
 
�We are very excited to be opening the first LEED hotel in Quebec and the first of its kind in Canada for Holiday Inn Express,� said Pierre Gilles Gauvin, general manager of Holiday Inn Express and Suites Saint-Hyacinthe.  �We have invested $10 million with the goal of providing visitors of the area with a hotel that is sustainable and eco-friendly while maintaining a relaxed atmosphere with all the latest in comfort, and we are happy with the end result.�  
 
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is the world's largest hotel group by number of rooms.  IHG owns, manages, leases or franchises, through various subsidiaries, nearly 4,400 hotels and over 640,000 guest rooms in 100 countries and territories around the world.