23 May 2013

Crowne Plaza Hotels® & Resorts to Donate $50,000 Through "Charity Foursome" Program

Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, PGA TOUR Players and Fans Rally to Benefit Four Charities

FORT WORTH, TEXAS – PGA TOUR golfers at the 2013 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial will once again be playing for more than the traditional tartan plaid jacket. This year’s Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts “Charity Foursome” program will benefit four charities: The First Tee of Fort Worth, Year Up Atlanta, Junior Achievement USA and the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) Shelter In A Storm Program. Expect plenty of birdies and eagles over the weekend, with the entire field working hard to shoot low scores for one of the participating organizations. During Saturday and Sunday rounds, each golf pairing will be playing for one of the four charities with IHG’s Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts brand donating $100 for every birdie and $500 for every eagle made to the pairing’s corresponding charity, up to $50,000.

“We’re very proud to continue the Colonial’s long-standing tradition of giving back to the community through this year’s ‘Charity Foursome’ program,” said Gina LaBarre, vice president, Americas Brand Management, Upscale Brands, IHG. “Aligning with this year’s Crowne Plaza theme, ‘We’ll Help You on Your Way,’ each benefiting charity is focused on enabling people to be successful – whether it’s the next generation of business travelers or people in our hotel communities recovering from a natural disaster.”

To create awareness for the “Charity Foursome" program and to help fans identify the corresponding charity for each golf pairing, the players’ caddies will wear one of the four charity names on their caddy bibs, and the charity names will also be found on standard bearers. Additionally, commemorative gray and plum fans given to on-site viewers at the course’s famed 13th hole suggest donating Caddie Race bet winnings to one of the “Charity Foursome” program organizations.

Fans at this year’s tournament and viewers at home will be encouraged to partake by visiting www.crowneplaza.com/charityfoursome to donate directly to the participating charities of their choice.

The upscale hotel brand will be demonstrating its “We’ll Help You on Your Way” message through several high profile opportunities this golf season. The brand tagline debuted last month in a new ad campaign starring PGA TOUR professional Rickie Fowler, including two lighthearted commercials – “Caddie” and “Autograph” – that will run on The Golf Channel and CBS through Aug. 4. In the same spirit, the brand is sponsoring the prestigious 2013 Ben Hogan Award, helping one talented collegiate golfer on his way to a potential career in professional golf with confirmed entry into next year’s Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial tournament.

The Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial will also support communities affected by the recent storms in Texas and Oklahoma through the American Red Cross. Donation stations will be located throughout the course, and fans and players are encouraged to wear red on Sunday in support of the affected communities.

IHG, the parent company of the Crowne Plaza brand, is the Official Hotel and Resort Partner of the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour and Web.com Tour. The longest running PGA TOUR tournament still being held at the original site, the 2013 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial is held May 20-26 at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. Visit www.crowneplaza.com/golf for more information.

About Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts
Part of the IHG global portfolio, the Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts brand is a dynamic upscale hotel brand located in nearly 65 countries around the world in major urban centers, gateway cities and resort destinations. As the fourth largest upscale full-service hotel brand in the world and one of the fastest growing, the Crowne Plaza brand has a solid foundation for future growth. The portfolio has doubled since 2003 to nearly 400 hotels, and the global pipeline has increased fourfold to nearly 100 hotels. At Crowne Plaza hotels, we help our guests feel energized and productive, with 24-hour business services, wireless high speed Internet access in the lobby, and fitness and leisure facilities. Our Sleep Advantage® program ensures our guests get a great night’s sleep to power through their day. For reservations at Crowne Plaza properties, visit www.crowneplaza.com or call 1-800-2CROWNE. Connect with us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/crowneplaza or Facebook: www.Facebook.com/crowneplaza.

Media Contacts:
Caroline Huston, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts,
[email protected] , +1(770) 604-2495
Nicole Tronolone, Hill + Knowlton Strategies,
[email protected] , +1(212) 885-0457 

About IHG Shelter in a Storm Program®
When natural and man-made disasters strike, people naturally come to hotels to seek shelter in a storm. This is a key role of hotels in society, and one that is really important to all the communities in which they operate. The IHG Shelter in a Storm Program provides guidance on when and how to react to disasters, ensuring a quick and effective response to crises affecting IHG branded hotels, their employees and the local community. A key element of our disaster response is the IHG Shelter Fund which is built up by fundraising activities throughout the year. As a result, we are able to respond as soon as disaster strikes ensuring we can provide vital assistance right away.

About Junior Achievement USA® (JA)
Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices. JA programs are delivered by corporate and community volunteers, and provide relevant, hands-on experiences that give students from kindergarten through high school knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship. Today, JA reaches 4.2 million students per year in 119 markets across the United States, with an additional 5.8 million students served by operations in 120 other countries worldwide. Visit www.ja.org for more information.

About The First Tee of Fort Worth
The First Tee of Fort Worth is a youth development organization that uses golf as its vehicle to teach Life Skills and The First Tee’s Nine Core Values to children in the greater Fort Worth community. The First Tee of Fort Worth is one of over 200 chapters of The First Tee, an organization that is recognized as one of the premier youth character-education programs in the country. Founded in 2004, The First Tee of Fort Worth is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization impacting  over 20,000 youth annually in and around Fort Worth.

About Year Up Inc.
Year Up's mission is to close the Opportunity Divide by providing urban young adults with the skills, experience, and support that will empower them to reach their potential through professional careers and higher education. Year Up achieves this mission through a high support, high expectation model that combines marketable job skills, stipends, internships and college credits. Its holistic approach focuses on students' professional and personal development to place these young adults on a viable path to economic self-sufficiency. Year Up currently serves more than 1,700 students a year at sites in Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York City, Providence, San Francisco Bay Area, the National Capital Region, and Puget Sound (Seattle). To learn more, visit www.yearup.org or www.youtube.com/yearupinc.

Notes to Editors:

IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global organization with nine hotel brands including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo®, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites®, Candlewood Suites®, EVEN™ Hotels and HUALUXE™ Hotels & Resorts. IHG also manages Priority Club® Rewards, the world’s first and largest hotel loyalty program with over 73 million members worldwide. The program will be renamed and relaunched as IHG Rewards Club in July 2013, offering enhanced benefits for members.

IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns over 4,600 hotels and more than 674,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories. With more than 1,000 hotels in its development pipeline, IHG expects to recruit around 90,000 people into additional roles across its estate 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.

Visit www.ihg.com for hotel information and reservations and www.priorityclub.com for more on Priority Club Rewards. For our latest news, visit www.ihg.com/media,www.twitter.com/ihg, www.facebook.com/ihg or www.youtube.com/ihgplc.

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