Candlewood Suites Hits the Track with Kalitta Motorsports in IHG's First NHRA Sponsorship

YPSILANTI, Mich., - Candlewood Suites, IHG's midscale extended-stay brand, announced today it will join Kalitta Motorsports, one of the most accomplished teams in the history of NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) Professional Drag Racing, as a major associate and primary sponsor for the team in the 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.  This sponsorship is IHG's first for the NHRA circuit.

"Just like in the hot rod community, we provide a friendly, unpretentious atmosphere at Candlewood Suites, where our ‘fans' feel free to relax on their own terms," said Gina LaBarre, vice president, Americas Brand Management, IHG.  "Many of our guests already enjoy racing, and this sponsorship gives us the opportunity to showcase our brand to an even larger audience."

The Candlewood Suites logo will be displayed on all three of Kalitta Motorsports' nitro-fueled, 8,000-horsepower, 300+mph race cars, including the team's two Top Fuel dragsters driven by Doug Kalitta and Dave Grubnic, as well as the DHL Funny Car driven by Jeff Arend. The sponsorship kicks off at the prestigious Kragen O'Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, Calif., Feb. 24-27, 2011.

Candlewood Suites will also serve as the primary sponsor on the Grubnic-driven Top Fueler at four events in 2011 -

• NHRA Nationals, Commerce, GA (Atlanta)-May 13-15, 2011
• Route 66 NHRA Nationals, Chicago, IL-July 7-10, 2011
• Mac Tools US Nationals, Indianapolis, IN-August 31-September 5, 2011
• NHRA Arizona Nationals, Phoenix, AZ-October 14-16, 2011

"It's an honor for us to be partnered with such a great brand as Candlewood Suites," Connie Kalitta, team owner and drag racing legend, said. "Candlewood Suites is synonymous with down-to-earth hospitality, which aligns with the personality of our fanbase.  We are very pleased that they have chosen our team and NHRA Drag Racing to further their marketing efforts."

About Candlewood Suites
Candlewood Suites is focused on comfort, space and value. At more than 280 properties located throughout North America, guests find spacious studio and one-bedroom suites, each with their own fully equipped kitchen, large workspace, comfortable recliner, DVD and CD player and complimentary high-speed Internet access. The complimentary fitness center and guest laundry are open around the clock, and the Candlewood Cupboard® is open 24 hours for snacks, refreshments, entrées and other necessities on the honor system. Candlewood Suites hotels offer guests all of this at a very comfortable price.

All hotels offer the brand's Comforts of HomeTM Bedding Collection with upgraded mattresses and box spring sets, mattress topper, fluffy duvet inserts and poly-cotton covers matching the hotel's color scheme, 250-thread count micro-check sateen sheets in "Candlelight," triple sheeting, contemporary cotton estate blankets, choice of three upgraded pillow types in firm, medium and feather and a decorative "Consider Us Home" pillow.

http://www.candlewoodsuites.com/   

About Kalitta Motorsports
Based in Ypsilanti, Mich., Kalitta Motorsports is a Top Fuel and Funny Car drag racing team in the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. The team was founded and is owned by drag racing icon Connie "the Bounty Hunter" Kalitta. For more than 50 years, Connie has been involved in the sport as a driver, tuner, and an owner. Kalitta Motorsports is one of the most successful teams in the history of auto racing with five world championships and over 50 national event titles in five different professional drag racing sanctioning bodies since it was established by Connie in 1959.

Jeff Arend drives the DHL Funny Car for the team. Connie's nephew, Doug Kalitta, drives the Kalitta Air Top Fuel dragster entry while Dave Grubnic drives the team's second Top Fueler under the banner of Kalitta Air as well. Connie serves as head tuner for all Team Kalitta entries. He is assisted by crew chief Jim Oberhofer and assistant crew chief Troy Fasching on Doug's Top Fueler and by co-crew chiefs Jon Oberhofer and Nick Boninfante on the DHL Funny Car. Connie serves as crew chief on the Grubnic-driven racer with help from assistant crew chief James Riola.

Associate sponsors on Kalitta Motorsports' race cars include Holiday Inn, Red Line Oil, Technicoat Companies, ROCKY Boots, OPTIMA Batteries, and Mac Tools.

For more info about Kalitta Motorsports including exclusive content such as videos, photos and more, please visit http://www.teamkalitta.com/.  Follow Us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/TeamKalitta. Like Us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/KalittaMotorsports. Check out videos about Team Kalitta on our YouTube Channel:

www.youtube.com/user/TeamKalitta

Media Contacts:
Caroline Sanfilippo, IHG/Candlewood Suites, [email protected], +1(770) 604-2495
Todd Myers, Kalitta Motorsports, [email protected]

Notes to Editors:

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is the world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms. IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns, through various subsidiaries, over 4,500 hotels and more than 650,000 guest rooms in 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®. We also manage the world’s largest hotel loyalty program, Priority Club® Rewards with 52 million members worldwide.

IHG has over 1,200 hotels in its development pipeline which we expect to 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. For our latest news visit www.ihg.com/media, YouTube www.youtube.com/ihgplc or Twitter www.twitter.com/ihgplc.