Holiday Inn Express Hopes of Being First in South Carolina to Achieve LEED Status

Fourth Holiday Inn Express in the Charleston area to feature brand’s new sign

ATLANTA - IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON: IHG, NYSE: IHG (ADRs)], the world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms, announced today that the Holiday Inn Express and Suites Mount Pleasant-Charleston is expected to open next month. This newly constructed hotel is applying for LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) later this year, which will make it the first hotel in South Carolina to receive this certification.

“Holiday Inn Express hotels are designed to be the smart choice for value-conscious business and leisure travelers,” said Gina LaBarre, vice president, Brand Delivery, The Americas, IHG. “With more than 2,000 properties worldwide and more than 600 properties in the pipeline, the Holiday Inn Express portfolio continues to expand in markets like Mount Pleasant, providing our guests with an enhanced stay experience at a great value. We welcome this hotel into the Holiday Inn family with the brand new sign and everything it represents.”

The Holiday Inn Express Mount Pleasant-Charleston will be one of four Holiday Inn Express hotels open in the Charleston area with the brand’s new sign, which is the seal of approval that they exemplify the standards of the $1 billion Holiday Inn brand relaunch program. First announced in 2007, the Holiday Inn global brand relaunch was established to create a more contemporary brand image as part of the drive to increase quality and consistency across the global portfolio. The program focuses on arrival and welcome services, guestroom and guest bath comfort. The global estate of more than 3,300 Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express properties is expected to be relaunched by the end of 2010, and more than 1,200 hotels have been relaunched to date.

Elements of the relaunch for Holiday Inn Express include:

Redesigned Brand Signage
An evolution of the iconic script logo, energizing the signature color green and eliminating the current shield shape for a more refreshed and contemporary look.

Warm Welcome
A new signature arrival - including new lighting, landscaping and design features - that creates an energized and branded sense of welcome that is universally recognizable. Customized music and scent selections also engage guests in a complete sensory experience, and a decluttered front desk to promote a more efficient and interactive check-in process.

New Service Promise
A best-in-class service culture - “Stay Real” - to further ensure the team develops the behaviors and skills to best serve guests so they feel like individuals and not numbers. Genuine people delivering real service. Leading the charge will be a newly created position at each hotel - the Guest Experience Champion.

The 116-room hotel at 350 Johnnie Dodds Boulevard is centrally located at the foot of the Cooper River Bridge providing easy access to Charleston’s top tourist attractions. The hotel is nearby historic downtown Charleston and just a short drive from a number of key attractions and businesses including Blackbaud, East Cooper Regional Medical Center, Roper St. Francis Hospital, Patriots Point, Boone Hall Plantation, and the South Carolina Aquarium.

“We are excited to announce that the Holiday Inn Express is applying to be the first LEED certified hotel in South Carolina,” said Michael Tall, senior vice president, Charlestowne Hotels, Inc. “This makes us extremely proud that we will hopefully be able to give Charleston visitors a ‘green’ option in addition to providing our guests with an enhanced stay at a great value.”

Guests at the Holiday Inn Express will experience a comfortable and smart environment with innovative preferred guest upgrades to ensure a productive stay while traveling for business or leisure. The hotel’s newly enhanced complimentary Express Start® breakfast bar will feature a rotation of various breakfast items including eggs, breakfast sausage and bacon, biscuits, yogurts, fruit and the brand’s proprietary cinnamon roll and Smart Roast® coffee. The hotel features special in-room amenities such as free high-speed Internet access, microwave, Jacuzzi tubs and 32" flat panel HDTV’s, business center, wireless Internet access throughout the hotel, outdoor pool and a fitness center. The SimplySmartTM shower incorporates a proprietary Stay SmartTM Kohler showerhead, signature shower curtain with curved rod, upgraded 100 percent cotton terry towels and a custom line of cinnamon-scented bath products. Guests will also enjoy the SimplySmartTM bedding collection where they will find new crisp fresh bedding which features an attractive decorative throw, a medium-weight duvet blanket and soft 200 thread-count sheets.

The LEED green building certification system is the nationally recognized standard for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. By using less energy, LEED-certified buildings save money for families, businesses and taxpayers; reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and contribute to a healthier environment for residents, workers and the larger community. The Holiday Inn Express and Suites Mount Pleasant-Charleston will have water saving faucets, automatic a/c control and use local supplies and materials for the building of the hotel and the landscaping. Additional green elements include arrogation practices and an active recycling program.

Holiday Inn Express hotels participate in IHG’s guest loyalty program, Priority Club® Rewards. The industry’s first and largest guest loyalty program has 44 million members. Priority Club Rewards membership is free and guests can enroll by logging on www.priorityclub.com, calling 1-888-211-9874 or by inquiring at the front desk of this hotel or any of IHG’s more than 4,300 hotels worldwide.

The Holiday Inn Express and Suites Mount Pleasant-Charleston is owned by KVH Hospitality, LLC and managed by Charlestowne Hotels Inc. under a license agreement with a company in the InterContinental Hotels Group.