Pro Invest Group to Open 15 Holiday Inn Express Hotels in Australia Totaling 2100 Bedrooms

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. July 29, 2013

New Delhi, India - July 29, 2013 - IHG (InterContinental Hotel Group) today announced that international investment company, Pro Invest Group, has established a $150 million fund to develop a portfolio of 15 Holiday Inn Express hotels across Australia.

Pro Invest has created a property development and hotel operating company to build and operate an initial 15 Holiday Inn Express hotels, totalling approximately 2,100 rooms, in central business, suburban and airport locations in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane. IHG will enter into franchise agreements for each of the hotels under a multiple development agreement signed between the two companies. The first hotel will open at Macquarie Park in North Ryde, Sydney in the autumn of 2014.

Holiday Inn Express is the smart choice for value-conscious business and leisure travellers. Fresh, clean and uncomplicated, Holiday Inn Express is for guests on the go, offering them exactly what they need - a great night's sleep in a high quality hotel with free breakfast and free Wi-Fi. Holiday Inn Express North Ryde will offer 190 rooms to meet the growing demand from the local business community for quality accommodation at a smart price.

"Pro Invest principal Ronald Barrott is a proven champion for the Holiday Inn Express brand, having developed a strong portfolio of properties in Europe in the 1990s and early 2000s as CEO and Chairman of Stannifer Hotels".

The principal of Pro Invest Group, Ronald Barrott, has been a strong partner for the brand, having already developed a portfolio of Holiday Inn Express properties in Europe in the 1990s and early 2000s with Stannifer Hotels. As Founder, CEO and Chairman of the company, Barrott led Stannifer to become one of the UK's largest and most successful select service hotel groups.

Ronald Barrott, principal of Pro Invest said, "This fund is comprised of a group of offshore investors, all who see the potential of investing in both the Holiday Inn Express brand, and Australia. We believe now is the time to grow this brand in the market and travellers will certainly benefit from having one of the world's biggest hotel brands to choose from.

"My previous experience in the UK tells me this partnership with IHG will be a long and successful one, and that there is plenty of opportunity to grow this initial portfolio of 15 Holiday Inn Express hotels to become many more in the years to come."

IHG Asia, Middle East and Africa CEO, Jan Smits continued "The announcement of this investment fund comes at a great time for IHG in Australia. Our current hotel brands here, InterContinental, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn, are already well-known and regarded by our hotel owners, and Holiday Inn Express is a welcome addition. We announced our first signing under this brand earlier this year and that hotel will open in Perth, Western Australia in 2015. Pro Invest's portfolio will launch with the opening of Holiday Inn Express North Ryde in autumn 2014.

"We have established a strong hotel franchising model to provide owners and investors in Australia, such as Pro Invest, with a reliable and profitable alternative to our equally-successful management model. This is an exciting example of the growth and development of IHG in this market, and a strong sign of confidence in IHG's offering."

There are currently 30 hotels open operating under IHG's InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn brands in Australia. First launched in 1991, the Holiday Inn Express brand has now grown to more than 2,200 hotels worldwide - the biggest brand within the IHG estate. A further 450 hotels are due to open in the next three to five years.

Holiday Inn Express®:

Holiday Inn Express hotels are modern hotels for value-oriented travellers. Fresh, clean and uncomplicated, Holiday Inn Express hotels offer competitive rates for both business and leisure travellers. Guests Stay Smart® at Holiday Inn Express hotels where they enjoy a free hot Express Start® Breakfast Bar, free high-speed Internet access and free local phone calls (US and Canada only). There are currently more than 2,200 Holiday Inn Express hotel locations around the globe. For more information or to book a reservation, visit IHG.com/HolidayInnExpress. Find Holiday Inn Express hotels on Twitter https://twitter.com/HIExpress or Facebook http://www.facebook.com/holidayinnexpress.

IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global organisation with a broad portfolio of 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 manages IHG® Rewards Club, the world's first and largest hotel loyalty programme with over 73 million members worldwide. The programme was relaunched in July 2013, offering enhanced benefits for members including free internet across all hotels, globally.

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