IHG signs agreement for first Holiday Inn in Mauritius

IHG and Airport Hotel Limited ink deal for 140-room Holiday Inn at Plaisance Airport

Dubai, UAE, <2 May 2013>

IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) the world's largest hotel group by number of rooms, has signed a new franchise agreement with Airport Hotel Limited that will see the Old Manor House at Plaisance Airport become Holiday Inn Mauritius - Plaisance Airport. The 140 room property will be the first Holiday Inn to open in Mauritius and will join IHG's InterContinental Resort Mauritius which opened in 2009.

The agreement, which was signed in Dubai on 2 May, is a response to the need for a hotel at the airport driven by the ongoing growth of the tourism market in Mauritius. The country has seen a three-fold increase in passenger traffic since 1990. Located just 700m from Plaisance Airport, the hotel will help service the increased passenger traffic through Mauritius Airport as it continues to expand into a global business, leisure and tourism hub.

Jacques Marrier d'Unienville, Chief Executive Officer, Omnicane Limited commented: "With a new terminal at Mauritius Airport in the pipeline, the need for an airport hotel has never been greater. With Holiday Inn, we know we will be delivering a reliable, quality service to visitors to Mauritius. IHG's consideration for the local environment and the unique qualities of the site such as its mature botanical diversity has also impressed us, and we are delighted to be partnering with them on this exciting project."

The 20 year licence agreement will see IHG redevelop the 3 acres site. The hotel and its grounds will be developed in keeping with traditional Mauritian vernacular in its design and character. Creative use of decorative steelwork combined with hardwood timber shutters and pergolas brings out a distinctive local 'feel' to the architecture.

Harnessing the local biological diversity of the site, the landscape proposal retains the majority of the existing trees and foliage in the garden while a roof garden on the third floor brings the guest relaxation areas closer to the natural environment. Sustainable design initiatives in the hotel will include taking advantage of the natural ventilation in the living areas as well as the use of low-e glazing to reduce air conditioning loads. Using locally sourced building material as well as use of local stone and timber further helps to further reduce the building's carbon footprint.

Pascal Gauvin, IHG's Chief Operating Officer, for India, Middle East and Africa commented: "Mauritius is continuing to see an increase in visitor numbers and with that, an increased demand for a range of accommodation options. With Holiday Inn, we are responding to this demand by catering to the mid-scale market and offering a global brand that people know and trust. A Holiday Inn at the airport is a perfect complement to our InterContinental Resort Mauritius which opened in 2009, and we're delighted to be expanding in this market."

Facilities at the 131 standard and 9 executive rooms hotel will include a gym, a spa, a bar lounge and terrace, a swimming pool, restaurant as well as five meeting rooms and a large banqueting room with a break out area into the garden.

This hotel will become IHG's second hotel in Mauritius, and joins InterContinental Resort Mauritius at the Bay of Balaclava. There are more than 3,000 Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express hotels around the world, with another 695 in the global pipeline. Holiday Inn recently completed a USD 1 billion global refresh.

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About the Holiday Inn® brand
With over 1,200 hotels worldwide, the Holiday Inn^®brand is the most widely recognized lodging brand in the world. In fact, the Holiday Inn brand was one of the first international hotel brands to establish a presence in China in 1984. The Holiday Inn brand provides the services that business travellers need, while also offering a comfortable atmosphere where all people can relax and enjoy amenities such as restaurants and room service, swimming pools, fitness centers and comfortable lounges. The casual atmosphere and amenities such as meeting and on-site business facilities, Kids Eat and Stay Free programs, and KidSuites rooms at every Holiday Inn Resort hotel demonstrates the long-standing commitment of the Holiday Inn brand to serving travelers and have helped to establish the brand as "America's Favorite Hotel." And now, the Holiday Inn brand has been ranked "Highest in Guest Satisfaction Among Mid-scale Full Service Hotel Chains", according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 and 2012 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study^SM. For more information about Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Resort, including IHG's vacation resort brand Holiday Inn Club Vacations, or to book reservations, visit www.holidayinn.com. Find us on Twitter www.twitter.com/holidayinn or Facebook www.Facebook.com/holidayinnhotels.

About IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group)
IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global organisation 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 programme with over 71 million members worldwide. IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns over 4,600 hotels and more than 675,000 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.

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