08 June 2009

Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts Expands in Boston Metro Area

Fourth Boston-area Crowne Plaza hotel to undergo $10 million renovation

ATLANTA - IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON: IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)], the world's largest hotel group by number of rooms, today announced that the Crowne Plaza Boston-Newton opened on May 14, after a conversion from a Sheraton hotel. The Crowne Plaza will undergo $10 million in renovations, including changes to the carpets, wallpaper, windows and furniture.

Conveniently located along the Massachusetts Turnpike, the 270-room Crowne Plaza is just four minutes outside Boston and eight minutes from Logan International Airport. The Newton location joins three Crowne Plaza properties in the Boston area including: Boston-Natick, Nashua and Worcester-Downtown.

"Boston is considered the economic and cultural center of the region, and there are many local businesses, medical facilities and educational institutions surrounding the Newton hotel, making it an ideal location for a Crowne Plaza," said Gina LaBarre, vice president, Brand Management, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, and the Americas.

Amenities at the Crowne Plaza Boston-Newton include indoor heated pool, fitness center and business center. The hotel's restaurant, Martha's, serves continental and American cuisine.

The hotel features the Crowne Plaza Sleep Advantage®, available at all Crowne Plaza hotels in the Americas.  Sleep Advantage encompasses the entire sleep experience, from training staff on how to create and maintain a restful environment to providing innovative products and services.   Program components include signature bedding, guaranteed wake-up calls, designated quiet zones, night lights, drape clips and amenities such as eye masks, ear plugs and lavender spray.

Also consistent with the Crowne Plaza brand, the hotel offers a comprehensive meetings program to ensure a seamless planning process and exceptional meeting experience consisting of three key components: a Two Hour Response Guarantee, Crowne Meetings Director and a Daily Meetings Debrief.  The hotel has five spacious meeting rooms with 7,000 square feet of flexible, upscale meeting space, including a 4,000 square foot ballroom with a scenic view of the Boston skyline.

The property, located at 320 Washington St., Newton, Ma., is owned and managed by Bowden Hospitality Newton, LLC, and  under a license agreement with a company in the InterContinental Hotels Group.

Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts participates in IHG's guest loyalty program, Priority Club® Rewards.  The industry's first and largest guest loyalty program has 43 million members.  Priority Club Rewards membership is free and guests can enroll by logging on at priorityclub.com, by calling 1-888-211-9874 or by inquiring at the front desk of this hotel or any of IHG's more than 4,200 hotels worldwide.

Crowne Plaza was recently recognized by Lodging Hospitality magazine as one of the industry's top growing brands. As part of the IHG global portfolio, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts has more than 300 hotels in nearly 60 countries, and are located in major urban centers, gateway cities and resort destinations. For reservations at Crowne Plaza properties, visit http://www.crowneplaza.com/ or call 1-800-2CROWNE.

Media Contacts:

Lindsay Cameron, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, [email protected], +1(770) 604 8686

Monica Smith, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, [email protected], +1(770) 604 5562


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 4,200 hotels and more than 620,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories around the world. The Group owns a portfolio of well recognized 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 program, Priority Club® Rewards with 43 million members worldwide.

IHG has nearly 1,700 hotels in its development pipeline, which will create around 140,000 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 program at www.priorityclub.com. For the latest news from IHG, visit our online Press Office at www.ihg.com/media

Ends