InterContinental Hotels Group announces that the Holiday Inn Express brand is expanding in Brazil with the openings of the Holiday Inn Express Belem-Ananindeua hotel, the Holiday Inn Express Porto Velho hotel and the Holiday Inn Express Marilia hotel expected to open later this year.

IHG also has plans for a new-build Holiday Inn Express® Manaus hotel, scheduled to open in 2014.

The Holiday Inn® Express brand is the ideal choice for the smart traveler, offering them a great night's rest while helping them be productive on the go. The newly opened Holiday Inn Express® Belem-Ananindeua and the upcoming Holiday Inn Express® Porto Velho hotels are IHG's 13th and 14th properties respectively in Brazil.  Other IHG hotels represented within Brazil are under the InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® hotels and Staybridge Suites® brands.  The scale and diversity of the IHG family of brands means that our hotels can meet our guests' needs whatever the occasion.

"We are proud to welcome the Holiday Inn Express Belem-Ananindeua to the Holiday Inn Brand Family," said Alvaro Diago, Chief Operating Officer, Latin America and Caribbean, IHG. "We look forward to the upcoming opening of the other Holiday Inn Express hotels as well.  In a report by IHG and The Futures company, titled "The new kinship economy: from travel experiences to travel relationships", one of the findings points to cities in emerging markets that will become major tourist destinations. Belem, Porto Velho, Marilia and Manaus are key strategic centers within Brazil that will continue to grow in importance for both business and leisure travelers."

The 156-room new build Holiday Inn Express Belem-Ananindeua hotel is located in the industrial district of Ananindeua and within close proximity to the Hangar Convention and Fair Centre, one of the region's most well-equipped meetings and convention spaces. The hotel is seven miles from Belem's international airport, and will also serve the region's thriving port industry, one of the largest and busiest in Brazil. Belem has long been renowned as the gateway to the Amazon River basin, in the country's northeastern corridor. Guests staying at the hotel can choose between well-appointed spacious guest rooms and suites, all boasting a fresh contemporary design throughout. Additional amenities include a 24-hour business center and fitness center. The modern property offers flat screen TVs, mini bar access and complimentary high-speed Internet.

The 174-room Holiday Inn Express Porto Velho hotel is located less than two miles from the city's airport, and just minutes from the city center, accessible to numerous shopping and entertainment options. The hotel will feature complementary high-speed Internet, a business center, a fitness center and three meeting rooms. The city of Porto Velho is located in the western part of Brazil, and is an important mining town, as well as a strategic transportation and communications center.

Scheduled to open toward the end of this year, the 102-room Holiday Inn Express Marilia hotel will be among the first global hotel brands in the city of Marilia. The hotel will be located in the state of São Paulo, and its location offers easy access to major thoroughfares, industrial district and airport. The new build hotel will boast a modern design, with a strong focus on sustainability, including energy-efficient systems, effluent wastewater treatment plans, solar panels and LED lighting.

Opening in early 2014, the 110-room Holiday Inn Express Rio Branco will be located downtown, in the city's business center. Rio Branco has seen incredible growth in recent years due to its strategic location – it is in close and proximity to the Peru and Bolivia borders, accessible to the Transoceanica Highway and two key Peruvian ports, thus providing Brazil with its connection to the Pacific Ocean.

Slated to open in 2015, the 180-room Holiday Inn Express Manaus hotel will be located adjacent to the city's expansive convention center. With more than two million residents, Manaus is Brazil's second largest metropolitan area in northern Brazil and is recognized for its duty-free zone as well as a thriving eco-tourism industry.  The Holiday Inn Express Manaus hotel will include a business center, fitness center and meeting rooms.

 "We have a long and successful history in Brazil," said Gerardo Murray, Vice-President, Marketing Strategic Services, Mexico, Latin America and Caribbean, IHG. "It is where the first IHG®-branded hotel – an InterContinental Hotels & Resorts property – opened here in 1946, so it is very exciting for us to expand the IHG family of hotels in new markets here through these new Holiday Inn Express hotels."

The complimentary Express Start® breakfast bar features a full range of breakfast items, including a rotation of egg and meat selections, biscuits, yogurt, fruit, pancakes, the brand's proprietary cinnamon roll and Smart Roast® coffee. Guest rooms feature contemporary styling, a 32-inch HD flat screen TV, comfortable queen or king-sized beds, a sitting area with a lounge chair and an in-room coffee machine featuring complimentary Smart Roast 100% Arabica coffee. The SimplySmart™ shower incorporates a proprietary Stay Smart™ Kohler showerhead, signature shower curtain with curved rod, upgraded 100 percent cotton terry towels and Bath & Body Works White Citrus bath products are also included. Guests will enjoy the SimplySmart™ bedding collection, where they will find crisp fresh bedding that features an attractive decorative throw, a medium-weight duvet blanket and soft, 200 thread-count sheets.

IHG has 44 Holiday Inn hotels and Holiday Inn Express hotels throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, and has been serving Latin America for more than 65 years. With hotels situated in nearly every key market throughout the region.