IHG Academy doubles presence in China with addition of 10 new hospitality training facilities in eastern China

• Expansion brings IHG Academy to 22 locations in 7 provinces across China
• Up to 4,500 students to be undergoing IHG training in China at any one time

Shanghai, 7 July 2008 - IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) is tackling the war for talent in China head on. Two years after opening its first IHG Academy, an industry-leading training institute, in Shanghai, the company has announced that it will nearly double the number of IHG Academy locations to 22 from the current 12. The largest international hotel operator in China recently signed partnerships with several leading tourism institutions in the key cities of Nanjing and Hangzhou in eastern China. These 10 new IHG training facilities will cater to an area with a population of nearly 150 million people, training local talent in a variety of hospitality-related fields and subsequently offering them employment within IHG's growing portfolio of hotels.

The first IHG Academy was established in June 2006 in Shanghai, to address the demand for trained talent in China's rapidly-growing hospitality industry. Since then, the IHG Academy has grown rapidly across China and attracted significant interest from young people interested in pursuing a career in China's burgeoning hospitality industry. The IHG Academy will be able to accommodate up to 4,500 students at any one time, once all 22 locations are up and running, Each IHG Academy offers a selection of certification and diploma programmes that combine theoretical sessions, lectures by IHG executives and internship exposure at IHG's hotels. Each year, approximately 2,000 IHG Academy graduates are offered employment opportunities at IHG hotels across China under the InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express brands.

Students of IHG Academy will be part of the IHG hotel service team during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games

"IHG has been operating in China for 24 years. As an industry leader in this important market, it is our responsibility to proactively contribute to the growth and development of China's hospitality industry," said Edmond Ip, chief operating officer, IHG Greater China. "Finding the right people is challenging, but it is the key to our success. As such, we are committed to delivering world-class people development initiatives and practices to enrich the local talent pool."

Ip added that IHG is growing at a faster pace than ever in China, with 32,000 employees across the country. The company's aggressive expansion plan means it will need to recruit another 20,000 new employees across China by the end of this year. The expansion of the IHG Academy will help IHG build a renewable pool of skilled, well-trained talent.

Established in China since 1984, IHG is today the largest international hotel operator in the Greater China region with nearly 90 hotels open and more than 100 hotels in the pipeline. In the Yangtze River Delta region, where the 10 new training facilities will be located, IHG operates 20 hotels and has 33 new hotels under development.

IHG Academy - Milestones

• June 2006 - Launch of first IHG Academy in Shanghai, in collaboration with Shanghai University and two leading Australian education providers, William Angliss Institute and Box Hill Institute.
• Throughout 2007 - IHG Academy further expands to five cities with the signing of another 10 partner schools in Chongqing, Jinan, Shunde and Zhengzhou.
• March 2008 - Expansion of the IHG Academy to Shenzhen, the first to partner with an undergraduate university and first to offer bachelor's programme.
• June 2008 - First group of IHG Academy students graduate in Shanghai. IHG Academy adds 10 new partner schools in Nanjing and Hangzhou, bringing the total number of IHG Academy locations to 22.

Media Contacts:

Sharona Tao
IHG
Tel: +86 21 2893 3309
Fax: +86 21 2893 3399
[email protected]

Maggie Lu
Hill & Knowlton (China)
Tel: +86 5109 7070 x 252
Fax: +86 21 5407 5700
[email protected]


Notes to Editors:
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) [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, almost 4,000 hotels and more than 590,000 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, 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.

IHG pioneered the travel industry’s first collaborative response to environmental issues as founder of the International Hotels and Environment Initiative (IHEI). The environment and local communities remain at the heart of IHG’s global corporate responsibility focus. IHG is the first major hotel group to have measured the environmental and carbon footprints of hotels that operate under our brands globally and is in the process of setting reduction targets.

With more than 1,600 hotels in its development pipeline, IHG needs to recruit around 150,000 people over the next few years to meet its global expansion plans.

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