InterContinental Hotels Group Opens Crowne Plaza Belem in Brazil; IHG's First Hotel Brand Was Founded in Belem, Brazil 60 Years Ago

The opening furthers IHG's expansion of its Crowne Plaza brand inLatin America, and serves as a homecoming for IHG, whose premier brandInterContinental Hotels & Resorts was established in Belem 60 yearsago, in 1946. InterContinental became a visionary focal point of thepost-World War II civilian travel boom, and has been widely recognizedas the world's first international hotel company.

Owned by Viapara Viagens e Turismo Ltda., the 21-floor, 173-roomhotel is located in Belem, a city of 2 million residents widelyregarded as one of Brazil's busiest ports.

The Crowne Plaza Belem is ideally situated in the central businessdistrict in the city's downtown area, and will be the 16th IHGproperty in Brazil, and another exciting addition to the alreadywidespread IHG portfolio of 175 properties in Latin America.

The 390 year-old city is considered to be the gateway to theAmazon River basin. While the city's colonial sector affords visitorsa European charm with antique churches and traditional blue tiles onthe buildings, the newer part is dotted with many modern buildings andskyscrapers, all signs of a growing metropolis.

"On multiple levels, there is tremendous history and significanceto this opening," says Alvaro Diago, Area President, InterContinentalHotels Group, Latin America. "It is a privilege to be back in Belem,the city of our roots, and opening what is destined to be one ofnorthern Brazil's finest hotels."

Guestroom amenities at the Crowne Plaza Belem include: high-speedInternet access, dual-line data port phones with voicemail, coffeemaker, hair dryer, mini bar, cable TV, refrigerator, iron and ironingboard. In addition, the hotel will feature a restaurant, a lobby barand 24-hour room service. The Crowne Plaza Belem will also feature aCrowne Club floor, fitness center, a roof top pool and a sauna.

"The country of Brazil is not only a significant part of ourpast," continues Diago, "but a crucial part of our future as acompany. Hotels like the Crowne Plaza Belem are prototypes of how wedefine our brand in this region. The property's infrastructure,location, cultural attractions and staff will definitely ensure itssuccess. We are extremely proud to be in Belem, and of our continuedgrowth in Brazil."

The hotel features the Crowne Plaza Sleep Advantage, anaward-winning program which encompasses all aspects of a guests' sleepexperience, from training staff on how to create and maintain arestful environment to providing innovative products and services.Program components include new bedding, guaranteed wake-up calls,designated quiet zones, night lights, drape clips, sleep CDs, sleeptips and amenities such as eye masks, ear plugs and lavender spray.

This hotel will also be consistent with the Crowne Plaza brandamenities such as "The Place to Meet" program, which offerscomprehensive meeting packages to ensure a seamless planning process,as well as an exceptional meeting experience. The program consists ofthree key components: a Two-Hour Response Guarantee, Crowne MeetingsDirector and a Meetings Daily Debrief. The hotel has five meetingrooms that can accommodate up to 600 people.

Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts participates in Priority ClubRewards. With more than 28 million members, Priority Club(R) Rewardsis the first, largest and fastest-growing guest loyalty program in thehotel industry. Winner of the 18th Annual Freddie Awards hotel loyalty"Program of the Year" and named "Best Hotel Rewards Program in theWorld" by Global Traveler magazine, Priority Club Rewards offers moresought-after benefits and the greatest ease of use of any hotelloyalty program. In addition to flexible features like No PointsExpiration and No Blackout Dates, members have more options for pointsredemption than any other hotel loyalty program, including redemptionat more than 500,000 lodging establishments worldwide - even atrivals' hotels - through the industry-leading "Any Hotel, Anywhere"reward, as well as the option to redeem points for airline miles onmore than 40 partner airlines, for auto rentals, for gift certificatesand for hundreds of products available in the Rewards Catalog. If theRewards Catalog doesn't have what a member is looking for, PriorityClub Rewards is the only hotel loyalty program to offer members aPersonal Shopper program that allows point redemptions for items notfound in the Rewards Catalog.

Enrollment in Priority Club Rewards is free. Guests can enroll bylogging on at priorityclub.com, by calling 1-888-211-9874 or byinquiring at the front desk of any of IHG's 3,600 hotels worldwide.

As part of the InterContinental Hotels Group global portfolio,Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts has 250 hotels in 48 countries, and arelocated in major urban centers, gateway cities and resortdestinations. In Latin America there are a total of 27 Crowne PlazaHotels & Resorts. For reservations at Crowne Plaza properties, visithttp://www.crowneplaza.com.

Note to Editors:

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC of the United Kingdom (LSE:IHG)(NYSE:IHG) (ADRs) is the world's largest hotel group by number ofrooms. InterContinental Hotels Group owns, manages, leases orfranchises, through various subsidiaries, over 3,650 hotels and540,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories around theworld. The Group owns a portfolio of well recognized and respectedhotel brands including InterContinental(R) Hotels & Resorts, CrownePlaza(R) Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn(R) Hotels and Resorts, HolidayInn Express(R), Staybridge Suites(R), Candlewood Suites(R) and HotelIndigo(R), and also manages the world's largest hotel loyalty program,Priority Club(R) Rewards with over 28 million members worldwide.

InterContinental Hotels Group offers information and onlinereservations for all its hotel brands at http://www.ichotelsgroup.comand information for the Priority Club Rewards program athttp://www.priorityclub.com.

For the latest news from InterContinental Hotels Group, visit ouronline Press Office at http://www.ihgplc.com/media.