IHG Signs Agreement For New InterContinental Hotel in Mendoza, Argentina

IHG (IHG) (LON:IHG), (NYSE:IHG) (ADRs), the world's largest hotel group by number of rooms, today announced it has signed a franchise agreement with KLP Emprendimientos S.A. for development of the InterContinental Mendoza, in Mendoza, Argentina.

It will be IHG’s third InterContinental in Argentina, along with the venerable InterContinental Buenos Aires, and the under-construction InterContinental Nordelta Buenos Aires, Residence & Spa, in the Nordelta area of Buenos Aires.

Slated to open in March 2010, the 15-story InterContinental Mendoza will total 218 guestrooms, inclusive of 62 suites and will be conveniently located next to a Convention Center. The hotel boasts 10 meeting rooms totaling 22,500 square feet, inclusive of a 12,900 square foot ballroom.

Situated in a new emerging business district, adjacent also to the city’s largest upscale shopping center, Mendoza Plaza, the hotel will be located ten minutes from downtown Mendoza and twenty minutes from the city’s international airport. Amenities include a full-service spa, swimming pool, gym, restaurant and casino.

Mendoza is located towards the middle section of the country’s western boarder, on the eastern side of the Andes. The city is a regional capital, positioned on a major international thoroughfare linking Argentina with the important seaports of Chile. The region, rich in natural resources, is the heart and soul of Argentina's wine country, where European settlers introduced the ancient craft of winemaking in the 19th century.

The wineries in Mendoza are famed to produce the world’s highest ranked Malbec wines. The city is also an adventure tourism center, offering world-class hiking, biking, fishing, rafting, horseback riding in the summer as well as world-class skiing and snowboarding in the winter. Mendoza attracts more than 700,000 tourists per year, making tourism one of the region’s fastest growing industries.

In 2008 National Geographic Traveler published its annual destination scorecard and Mendoza was widely acclaimed (number 10 out of 109 worldwide destinations) in a survey that took into consideration environmental and ecological quality; social and cultural integrity; condition of historic buildings and archaeological sites; aesthetic appeal; quality of tourism management; and outlook for the future.

"We are delighted to announce yet another InterContinental hotel in Argentina,” said Alvaro Diago, COO, IHG, Latin America and Caribbean. "A presence in a city such as Mendoza furthers our growth in areas that not only attract business travelers, but are renown as a tourism destination. In Mendoza’s case, the vineyards are a particular allure, and we look forward to meeting the needs of this broad-base of travelers.”

The world’s first truly global hotel brand, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts has had a continuous presence in Latin America since the brand’s founding in Brazil in 1946. Over its 63 years, there is no brand in the region with more international appeal. InterContinental Hotels & Resorts throughout Latin America strives to provide its guests with an experience unique to each destination – uncompromising global standards, while respecting the heritage of the communities each hotel calls home.

IHG has more than 180 hotels in Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean, and has been serving Latin America for over 60 years. IHG is the world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms, and has hotels situated in nearly every key market throughout the Latin American territory.

About InterContinental Hotels & Resorts”

InterContinental Hotels & Resorts has 161 hotels, located in more than 60 countries with local insight that comes from over 60 years of experience. At InterContinental we believe that superior, understated service and outstanding facilities are important, but what makes us truly different, is the genuine interest we show in our guests. Our desire is to help guests make the most of their time. We connect our well-travelled guests to what's special about a destination, by sharing our knowledge so they enjoy authentic experiences that will enrich their lives and broaden their outlook. For more information, visit www.intercontinental.com/ and www.intercontinentalvideo.com/

About IHG

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) (LON:IHG), (NYSE:IHG) (ADRs) is the world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms. IHG owns, manages, leases or franchises, through various subsidiaries, over 4,300 hotels and almost 630,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories around the world. The Group owns a portfolio of well recognised 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®, and also manages the world’s largest hotel loyalty programme, Priority Club® Rewards with 44 million members worldwide.

IHG has nearly 1,600 hotels in its development pipeline, which will create 140,000 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 and information for the Priority Club Rewards programme at www.priorityclub.com. For the latest news from IHG, visit our online Press Office at www.ihg.com/media.