IHG Plc. full year results is reporting phenomenal growth momentum around its Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts, and Holiday Inn Express brands.*

"Hotel owners know Holiday Inn continues to be a sound investment, and it proved it once again by outperforming its market segment last quarter with RevPAR up 12.5%," said Kirk Kinsell, SVP and chief development officer, the Americas, IHG. "Not only do we believe in the brands, but with 561 Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express hotels in the Americas pipeline, franchisees have more than $4.25 billion invested in the future of the Holiday Inn brand. Both the number of hotels and the investments that will be made in Holiday Inn are huge unmatched numbers, and it proves the strength and power of a great iconic brand that continues to perform and refuses to go away, despite what the pundits say."

Leading its market segment, Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts, the most recognized hotel brand in the world, continues its growth momentum with 155 properties in the Americas pipeline to complement its 1,015 existing hotels. A brand that is furthering its rejuvenation, more than 80 percent of the properties (126 hotels) in the Americas Holiday Inn pipeline will be new build.

The fastest-growing hotel brand in the limited-service hotel category, Holiday Inn Express, has 406 properties in the Americas development pipeline with nearly 90 percent of those being new build projects. Holiday Inn Express continues to open an average of two hotels per week, and has grown to more than 1,438 hotels since its introduction in the early 1990s.

In addition to Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts and Holiday Inn Express hotels; IHG's portfolio is comprised of some of the strongest and most recognized brands in the world: InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo, Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites. The strength of IHG's franchising, branding and management continue to attract developers to the company's offerings.

The Hotel Management Group has a proven track record as one of the largest hotel managers in the world. The Americas Hotel Management Group portfolio consists of more than 215 hotels and takes great pride in its ability to provide solutions for any IHG branded-hotel in any place. A group making great strides, globally managed operating profit was up 56% (March 31, 2006).

IHG's Americas regions showed continued development momentum across all seven hotel brands (March 31, 2006):

InterContinental Hotels & Resorts

With IHG's increased emphasis on the development of its upscale brands, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts has five hotels in the Americas pipeline to complement its existing 47 upper-upscale segment hotels in the region. Americas InterContinental Hotels & Resort properties opening during 2006 include: InterContinental Kansas City at the Plaza, Missouri; InterContinental Harbor Court Baltimore, Md.; InterContinental Playa Bonita Resort & Spa, Panama and InterContinental Boston, Mass. The brand has a total of 30 hotels in the global pipeline to complement its total portfolio of 138 hotels worldwide.

Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts

Crowne Plaza is expanding its North American portfolio with 17 hotels in the pipeline to complement its existing 138 hotels. Crowne Plaza continues to differentiate its brand offering with THE PLACE TO MEET and the Crowne Plaza Sleep Advantage™ program.

Hotel Indigo

The newest member of the IIHG family, Hotel Indigo is the industry's first branded boutique hotel experience. It is uniquely designed to appeal to style savvy, lifestyle focused guests who desire affordable luxury, genuine service and an alternative to more traditional hotels without sacrificing any of the business amenities they have come to expect. With Hotel Indigo's phenomenal reception, it is primed for continued expansion in the U.S. Hotel Indigo has three properties open and 12 in its Americas pipeline.

The first Hotel Indigo opened in Atlanta, Ga. in October 2004, the second location opened in The Chicago, Ill. historic Gold Coast neighborhood in May 2005 and a third location opened in Chicago-Palatine, Ill. in November 2005. The 12 hotels in the Hotel Indigo pipeline include: Scottsdale, Ariz.; Houston, Texas; Fort Meyers, Fla.; Sarasota, Fla.; College Park, Ga.; Savannah, Ga.; Hanover, Md.; Durham, N.C.; Las Vegas, Nev.; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Knoxville, Tenn. and Nashville, Tenn.

Staybridge Suites

Staybridge Suites reached 75 hotels faster than any other competitor in the upscale extended-stay segment with 91 now open and an additional 84 in the Americas pipeline.

Candlewood Suites

Acquired by IHG at the end of 2004, Candlewood Suites has more hotels in the pipeline than any other brand in the midscale extended-stay segment. It has 114 properties with another 91 properties in the Americas pipeline.

Helping further the success and momentum of its brands, IHG's integrated approach helps unify marketing initiatives so that hotels benefit from each others' efforts and learn from each other -- while keeping the brands distinct and differentiated to their customer segments. This is done by offering current and prospective franchisees a multi-brand marketing platform comprised of our Enterprise Values – technology, global reservations centers, global sales, performance support, and Priority Club® Rewards; as well as, fostering a collaborative, ‘Together We're Stronger' relationship with its hotel owners.

* (31st of March 2006)