30 January 2008

Hotel Indigo to Open Third Chicago-Area Property in Vernon Hills

High-Style and Affordable Luxury in Trendy Boutique Setting

VERNON HILLS, IL (Jan. 30, 2008) - Hotel Indigo is bringing its third property to the Chicago area.  After a $4.5 million renovation and conversion from an AmeriSuites hotel, the Hotel Indigo Vernon Hills is scheduled to open in early spring.  The hotel will be located in scenic Lake County in Vernon Hills, a suburb of Chicago, with easy access to the downtown area and O'Hare International Airport.

The 127-room world-class property is owned by FCLC Vernon Hills LLC and managed by Lane Hospitality of Northbrook, IL, under a license agreement with a company in the InterContinental Hotels Group. 

According to John Marko, Regional Vice President of Hotel Operations for Lane Hospitality, "The Hotel Indigo concept revolves around renewal, relaxation, luxury and highly personalized service, and this hotel will offer our guests the most value with an upscale, trendy and relaxed atmosphere, beautiful design elements and full service hotel amenities."

Boutique hotels, known for their intimate, luxurious environments in addition to personalized accommodations and services, have gained increasing popularity throughout North America.  Hotel Indigo is known as the industry's first branded boutique hotel, artfully combining the conveniences and consistencies of a brand hotel with the design cache and service personality of a boutique at an affordable price.  The soul of the brand's retail-inspired concept is renewal - thoughtful changes that are made throughout the year to keep the hotel fresh, similar to the way retailers change their window displays.  The renewal concept provides even the most frequent guest a unique experience with every stay.  The hotel will feature renewable elements such as vivid nature-inspired murals, area rugs, plush duvets and slip covers that will change periodically.  Public spaces will be transformed seasonally through changing artwork, music, flora and murals.

"This property will be a fitting complement to our two other hotels in the Chicago area," said Jim Anhut, Senior Vice President, Brand Management, Hotel Indigo.  "The community has embraced Hotel Indigo, and we look forward to bringing yet another unique and creative interpretation of our brand to our guests in Vernon Hills."

The six-story Hotel Indigo Vernon Hills will feature signature design elements including oversized lobby chairs, which create a personal work or dining space within the public areas of the hotel; cozy, airy and inviting guestrooms with plush bedding, hardwood-style flooring and spa-inspired showers; and a Phitness studio with cardio equipment and free weights.  All guestrooms at the property will be studio suites, each with 465 sq.-ft. of separate sitting and sleeping areas, Aveda bath amenities and 32-inch flat panel TVs.  The hotel will offer a 24-hour business center, complimentary high speed wireless Internet access throughout the property, and 1,100 sq.-ft. of meeting space for business functions or special events.

The Hotel Indigo will offer Phi Bar, with a fast, fresh, casual menu including a variety of healthy breakfast and dinner selections that will change every four months with seasonal inspirations for each menu category.  The hotel will also offer full evening beverage service; grab-and-go service with healthy and traditional snack items; 24-hour bottled beverages; Starbucks coffee through the "We Proudly Brew" program, and a variety of choices for onsite catered lunches and events.

Nearby attractions include Six Flags Great America and Hurricane Harbor, Cuneo Museum & Gardens, Historic Long Grove, Gurnee Mills Outlet Mall, Great Lakes Naval Base, Botanic Gardens and Ravinia Festival.

For information, contact the hotel directly at 1-847-918-1400 or visit http://www.hotelindigo.com/.  For meetings and events, contact hotel sales directly at 1-847-918-1400 or email [email protected].

The Hotel Indigo brand is quickly expanding throughout North America, with 12 locations open and more than 60 under development, either in the pipeline or in final negotiation.  The first Hotel Indigo opened in Atlanta in October 2004, followed by Hotel Indigo Chicago Gold Coast; Chicago Schaumburg North; Houston at the Galleria; Hotel Indigo Dallas; Ottawa Downtown City Centre, Canada; Hotel Indigo Scottsdale, AZ; Hotel Indigo Sarasota, FL; Hotel Indigo Buffalo-Amherst, NY; Hotel Indigo Nashville West End; Hotel Indigo Mérida Hacienda Misné, Mexico; and Hotel Indigo Boston-Newton Riverside.  Future sites of Hotel Indigo hotels include Baltimore, MD; Miami, FL; San Antonio, Texas; Las Vegas, NV; New York, NY; St. Louis, MO; and Knoxville, TN.   For more information on Hotel Indigo, or to make reservations, please visit http://www.hotelindigo.com/.

About Hotel Indigo

The newest member of the IHG family, Hotel Indigo is the industry's first branded boutique hotel experience. It is uniquely designed to appeal to guests who desire affordable luxury, personal service and an alternative to traditional hotels without sacrificing any of the businesses amenities they have come to expect.  Renewal is the soul of Hotel Indigo's retail-inspired design concept - thoughtful changes that are made throughout the year to keep the hotel fresh.  Guestrooms feature signature murals, area rugs, fluffy duvets and slipcovers that will change periodically, while public spaces will be transformed seasonally through changing aromas, music, artwork, murals and directional signage.  From relaxed café dining to high-style rooms - Hotel Indigo creates an intriguing, warm and inviting environment for guests.  For more information on Hotel Indigo, please visit http://www.hotelindigo.com/.

Hotel Indigo participates in Priority Club® Rewards.  With more than 37 million members, Priority Club Rewards is the first, largest and fastest-growing guest loyalty program in the hotel industry.  Winner of the 19th Annual Freddie Awards hotel loyalty "Program of the Year" and named "Best Hotel Rewards Program in the World" three years running by Global Traveler magazine, Priority Club Rewards offers more sought-after benefits and the greatest ease of use of any hotel loyalty program.  In addition to flexible features like No Points Expiration and No Blackout Dates, members have more options for points redemption than any other hotel loyalty program, including redemption at more than 500,000 lodging establishments worldwide - even at rivals' hotels - through the industry-leading "Any Hotel, Anywhere" reward, as well as the option to redeem points for airline miles on more than 40 partner airlines, for auto rentals, for gift certificates and for hundreds of products available in the Rewards Catalog.  If the Rewards Catalog doesn't have what a member is looking for, Priority Club Rewards is the only hotel loyalty program to offer members a Personal Shopper program that allows point redemptions for items not found in the Rewards Catalog.

Enrollment in Priority Club Rewards is free.  Guests can enroll by logging on at priorityclub.com, by calling 1-888-211-9874 or by inquiring at the front desk of any of IHG's more than 3,800 hotels worldwide.

Media Contacts:   

Natasha Gullett, Senior Media Relations Manager, Hotel Indigo, [email protected], 770-604-5597 

John Marko, Regional Vice President, Hotel Operations, Lane Hospitality, [email protected], 847-910-1677                                                           

Michaelene Guerrieri-Turner, Regional Director of Sales and Marketing, Lane Hospitality, [email protected], 847-291-5735

Notes to Editors:

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 3,800 hotels and more than 571,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories around the world. IHG owns a portfolio of well recognised 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 programme, 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 http://www.ihg.com/ and information for the Priority Club Rewards programme at http://www.priorityclub.com/.

For the latest news from IHG, visit our online Press Office at www.ihg.com/media

Ends