Zig and Zag are back with a new kind of breakfast

Embargoed until 00:00: Thursday 20 May 2010

Holiday Inn Express reunites the alien twins with Melinda Messenger to launch its new hot breakfast

Zig and Zag of Big Breakfast fame today returned to the UK for the first time in eight years leaving a trail of sausages, bacon and eggs in their wake. The extraterrestrials were joined by Melinda Messenger, their all time favourite guest on the hit Channel 4 show, to serve up the new Holiday Inn Express Start hot breakfast to commuters on their way to work.

The pair, originally from Planet Zog, flew in especially to mark the introduction of the complimentary hot breakfast into Holiday Inn Express hotels across the country. From today, hotel guests will wake up to a choice of scrambled eggs and bacon or sausages and warm pastries, free of charge.

Self professed lady killer, Zagnatius Hillery Zogly said: "What better way to start the day than with hot bangers, eggs and bacon served up by the sizzling Melinda Messenger? She's still totally smasharooning."

Melinda Messenger replied: "It's brilliant to be reunited with Zig and Zag after the fun we had back in the Big Breakfast days, they're still as cheeky as ever. Having said that, I don't know what they were more pleased to wake up to this morning, me or the hot breakfast"

Florence Eavis from Holiday Inn Express said: "The nation loved Zig and Zag 10 years ago, so it seemed fitting to bring them back to help us launch our new Holiday Inn Express Start hot breakfast. They've caused mayhem in London this morning and I think everyone has loved seeing them back in the spotlight. We hope our guests enjoy our new hot complimentary breakfast as much as Zig and Zag have."

Melinda Messenger joins Zig and Zag of Big Breakfast fame to launch the Holiday Inn Express complimentary hot breakfast. To book your stay and try the complimentary hot breakfast visit www.hiexpress.co.uk

Holiday Inn Express has always offered a complimentary breakfast but this is the first time that hot items have been added to the menu. The Holiday Inn Express Start complimentary hot breakfast is available to all guests staying at hotels across the UK from today.

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About Holiday Inn Express:
Holiday Inn is undergoing the biggest relaunch in the hospitality industry with a £650 million investment across more than 3,300 hotels 430,000 rooms worldwide. The Holiday Inn relaunch means that guests can expect a consistently good experience at all of their hotels. The relaunch is due to be completed by the end of 2010.

About IHG:

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 4,400 hotels and more than 650,000 guest rooms in 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 48 million members worldwide.

IHG has over 1,300 hotels in its development pipeline, which will create 160,000 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