15 December 2008
Holiday Inn Club Vacations™ Goes Live
Holiday Inn's first timeshare resort is now available to guests for rental and timeshare ownership
ATLANTA (Dec. 15, 2008) - IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON: IHG, NYSE: IHG (ADRs)] today announces the official unveiling of Holiday Inn Club Vacations with the opening of its first location at Orange Lake Resort in Orlando, Fla. The new timeshare brand was announced in September 2008 as a strategic alliance between IHG, the world's largest hotel company, and Orange Lake Resorts, a leader within the timeshare industry with more than 25 years of proven success.
"The strength and recognition of the Holiday Inn brand combined with Orange Lake's expertise in timeshare management positions us well for the future, even during these challenging economic times," said Christian Hempell, vice president, Holiday Inn Club Vacations. "Guests know and trust Holiday Inn, and we're excited to offer them the opportunity to experience the brand in a new way through timeshare ownership."
A 1,400-acre golf, water park and sports resort, Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Orange Lake Resort includes 2,412 villas and is located next to Walt Disney World® Resort in Orlando, the number one leisure destination for U.S. travelers. The resort offers a host of amenities including:
- 4 championship golf courses
- 7 swimming pools including a 12-acre outdoor entertainment complex
- 80 acre lake for water sports
- Five restaurants
- Retail and pro shops
Starting today, travelers who are seeking a richer vacation experience can rent vacation villas online at http://www.hiclubvacations.com/, a dedicated website where consumers can book a spacious one-, two- or three-bedroom villa just like they would any Holiday Inn hotel room. Through IHG's guest loyalty program, Priority Club Rewards, guests renting villas will earn PCR points during their stays at Holiday Inn Club Vacations, which they can redeem for free nights at IHG properties or exchange for merchandise and special experiences.
Orange Lake Resorts will develop and sell timeshare intervals of Holiday Inn Club Vacations under a license agreement from IHG. Starting today, owners who purchase intervals at Holiday Inn Club Vacations will automatically become members of the newly formed Holiday Inn ClubTM exchange program. This program allows members to exchange their weeks at the Orlando resort for hotel nights at IHG's more than 4,100 hotels worldwide. In addition, Holiday Inn Club members will also have access to Resort Condominium International's (RCI) network of more than 4,000 resorts.
"We're inviting our club members to open their eyes to a whole new way of vacationing," said Don Harrill, president and CEO of Orange Lake Resorts. "Club membership allows our owners to be at the right places at the right times-with flexibility unmatched in the timeshare industry."
In early 2009, existing Orange Lake resorts in Ascutney, Vt.; Lake Geneva, Wis.; and Panama City, Fla. will become part of the Holiday Inn Club Vacations portfolio. Orange Lake and IHG plan to expand the brand into other North American destination locations, adding more vacation experiences, features and benefits for their members. Orange Lake will also build a flagship Holiday Inn Resort hotel at the Orlando resort and will develop up to 2,500 more timeshare villas at this location.
Holiday Inn® and Orange Lake share the same founder, Kemmons Wilson, and this common heritage brought the two companies together to offer the ultimate vacation experience.
"Holiday Inn has earned the reputation of offering services and amenities that have revolutionized the hotel industry," said Spence Wilson, Orange Lake Resort's Chairman of the Board and son of Kemmons Wilson. "This is an exciting time for our members and for both companies; I'm ecstatic that my father's vision came together so seamlessly."
About Orange Lake Resorts
Orange Lake Resorts has evolved from a "best-kept secret" as the world's largest single-site timeshare resort to a multi-site network of over 2,400 villas. Their strategic marketing alliance with IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) provides members access to Holiday Inn Club Vacations resorts in Wisconsin, Vermont and Florida and IHG's network of more than 4,000 resorts worldwide. Orange Lake Resort's flagship property, located next to Walt Disney World® Resort in Orlando, was established in 1982 by Holiday Inn founder, Kemmons Wilson and is planned for expansion to 4,500 villas. Holiday Inn Club Vacations will continue to expand their Member Resorts to destination locations.
About Holiday Inn
With nearly 1,400 hotels worldwide, Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts 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 travelers need, while also offering a comfortable atmosphere where all people can relax and enjoy amenities such as restaurants and room service, swimming pools, fitness centers and comfortable lounges. The casual atmosphere and amenities such as meeting and on-site business facilities, KidSuites rooms, Kids Eat and Stay Free programs, and the ability to earn Priority Club Rewards points that can be redeemed for great merchandise, airline miles or free room nights, demonstrate the long-standing commitment of Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts to serving travelers and have helped to establish the brand as "America's Favorite Hotel." For more information about Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts or to book reservations, call 1-800-HOLIDAY or visit http://www.holidayinn.com/.
The $1 billion relaunch of the Holiday Inn brand family was established in 2007 to create a more contemporary brand image, increase quality and drive consistency. The global estate of more than 3,200 Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express properties is expected to be relaunched by the end of 2010. To find out more about the relaunch, click here to read the news release on our Press Office.
###
Notes to Editors:
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, over 4,100 hotels and more than 600,000 guest rooms in nearly 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 40 million members worldwide.
IHG has more than 1,700 hotels in its development pipeline, which will create 200,000 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 www.ihg.com and information for the Priority Club Rewards programme at www.priorityclub.com. For the latest news from IHG, visit our online Press Office at www.ihg.com/media