(San Francisco, CA) – June 29, 2011 – The InterContinental San Francisco is excited to announce the appointment of Juan Pablo Laginia as the new Director of Operations. Holding an extensive background within the InterContinental Hotel Group, Laginia was most recently working as the hotel’s Director of Rooms, responsible for day-to-day operations and overseeing the Front Office, Housekeeping, Security and IT departments at the LEED certified 550-room hotel located in San Francisco’s South of Market (SOMA) district.

Laginia first joined the InterContinental Hotel Group in September 2000, assisting with Front Desk and Front Office operations and management at the InterContinental Tamanaco in Caracas, Venezuela. In 2006 Laginia joined the team at the InterContinental Miami and subsequently trained to become the Assistant Director of Front Office in 2008. Upon his move to the InterContinental San Francisco in 2009, Laginia was appointed as the Director of Front Office Operations, followed by two years as the Director of Rooms Division. Laginia has been instrumental in the creation of the hotel’s Innovation Committee and has worked on several projects associated with InterContinental San Francisco’s LEED certification, all of which contribute to increasing guest satisfaction. In his new role as Director of Operations, Laginia will also support the Food & Beverage and Accounting divisions.

Originally from Caracas, Venezuela, Laginia holds a degree in Administration of Tourism Enterprises from the Universidad Nueva Esparta. After completing these studies in 2002, Laginia continued a multitude of hospitality course work, including those at the Revenue Academy in Lima, Peru as well as the Concierge Academy in Caracas, Venezuela. Laginia continues to receive accolades for his broad experience and his desire to enhance the guest experience at the InterContinental San Francisco.

About InterContinental San Francisco
The InterContinental San Francisco opened in February 2008 at Howard and 5th streets next to Moscone West Convention Center. The hotel towers 32 stories above the heart of the City and features 550 rooms, 14 suites, 43,000 sq. ft. of flexible meeting space with natural light, a ten-room treatment spa, full-service fitness center, and an indoor pool. For more information and to make reservations, contact the InterContinental San Francisco, 888 Howard Street, San Francisco, Calif.  94103, at 415.616.6500 or 888. 811.4273 or by visiting
www.intercontinentalsanfrancisco.com.

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (IHG) of the United Kingdom [LON: IHG, NYSE: IHG (ADRs)] is one of the world's largest hotel groups by number of rooms.  IHG owns, manages, leases or franchises, through various subsidiaries, over 3,900 hotels and more than 585,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories around the world. IHG 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®, Candlewood Suites® and Hotel Indigo®, and also manages the world's largest hotel loyalty program, Priority Club® Rewards with over 37 million members worldwide.

The company pioneered the travel industry’s first collaborative response to environmental issues as founder of the International Hotels and Environment Initiative (IHEI). The IHEI formed the foundations of the Tourism Partnership launched by the International Business Leaders Forum in 2004, of which IHG is still a member today. The environment and local communities remain at the heart of IHG’s global corporate responsibility focus.

IHG offers information and online reservations for all its hotel brands at www.ihg.com and information for the Priority Club Rewards program at www.priorityclub.com. For the latest news from IHG, visit our online Press Office at www.ihg.com/media