06 October 2009

Priority Club® Rewards Doubles the Points at More Than 4,300 Hotels Worldwide

Keep your cash! Earn points faster and use them for the upcoming holidays

Atlanta - Just in time for consumers to start thinking about how they'll save for the holiday season, earning double the Priority Club points starting with their second stay at any one of IHG's (InterContinental Hotels Group) 4,300 hotels worldwide between now and Dec. 15, 2009, can get them to free brand merchandise, retail gift cards, car rentals, hotel stays and now, flights, even faster.

According to Don Berg, vice president, Loyalty Programs, IHG, nearly one-third of all merchandise and gift card redemptions occur during the traditional gift-giving season, and during the 2008 holiday season, just as the recession hit, Priority Club Rewards members increased their redemptions in these categories by 20 percent over the previous year.

"While consumers realize that essentials come first during a challenging economy, they still want to be within reach of an upbeat, holiday season," said Berg.  "Using points to buy holiday gifts for family and friends is an ideal alternative to cash during these tough economic times."   

Points are also handy for holiday travel expenses. Earlier this month, IHG introduced Flights AnywhereTM, a new reward option that allows members to use Priority Club points for free flights without restrictions on seat availability.

"With the busy travel season upon us, consumers are also thinking about how they'll pay for hotel nights, car rentals and flights," said Berg. "If they're traveling on business between now and mid-December and stay at IHG hotels, they can earn double the points; earning rewards faster which could mean a cheaper flight or car rental, and free hotel stays in time for their personal travels to visit family and friends for the holidays."

Beginning with every second qualifying stay, guests earn double points or double miles when they register for the promotion via www.priorityclub.com/doublePR and stay at any one of IHG's more than 4,300 hotels across the globe including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo®, Holiday Inn® Hotels & Resorts and Holiday Inn Express® properties worldwide.  Members can earn double points or double miles on every qualifying stay at Staybridge® Suites and Candlewood Suites® hotels worldwide.

To be eligible for the Double Points promotion, travelers must be members of Priority Club Rewards. Enrollment in Priority Club Rewards is free, and guests can sign up at http://www.priorityclub.com/ or by calling 1-888-211-9874. 

About Priority Club Rewards
With 44 million members globally, IHG's Priority Club Rewards is the first, largest and fastest-growing guest loyalty program in the hotel industry.  Named Best Hotel Rewards Program in the World four 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, No Blackout Dates and Points & Cash, Priority Club Rewards members have more options for point 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.  Members can redeem points not only for hotel nights, but also 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.  And Priority Club Rewards is the only hotel loyalty program to offer members a Personal Shopper program that allows members to exchange points for items not found in the Rewards Catalog.

Media Contact:
Monica Smith, IHG, [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 4,300 hotels and almost 630,000 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 44 million members worldwide.

IHG has nearly 1,600 hotels in its development pipeline, which will create 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

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