IHG Launches its First Nationwide Black Friday Travel Deal, Exclusively on Twitter

Black Friday sales are not just for retailers anymore!

ATLANTA - According to the National Retail Federation, Black Friday is known to consumers as the ceremonial kickoff to the holiday shopping season. For the past several years, “Black Friday” has ranked as the largest shopping day of the year in the U.S. and with so much demand surrounding one day it is traditionally one of the most important days for retailers to bring shoppers into their stores with sales and promotions. This season, IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group), the world’s largest hotel company’s more than 3,100 U.S. locations will participate in the Black Friday frenzy. It will be the hotel industry’s largest Twitter exclusive Black Friday deal called “50 Free Friday.”

Beginning Nov. 1 through Nov. 29, consumers can uncover the link to IHG’s Black Friday deal by following @IHG_Deals on Twitter. The deal will give U.S. travellers $50 off any flight on any airline to any destination through April 30, 2011 when they stay at least one weekend night at any InterContinental®, Crowne Plaza®, Hotel Indigo®, Holiday Inn®, Holiday Inn® Club Vacations, Holiday Inn® Express, Staybridge Suites® and Candlewood Suites® in the U.S. Additionally, followers of @IHG_Deals will have a chance to win a $50 prepaid retail gift card when they retweet #50FreeFriday tweets.

The Black Friday deal complements IHG’s current promotions, “Sweet Dilemma” which awards guests with free nights or double Priority Club® points, and “Check it Free”, which reimburses guests for their checked baggage fees.

“Our Black Friday promotion gives consumers a discounted travel option when they’re looking for deals leading up to one of the biggest shopping days of the year”, said Del Ross, vice president, U.S. Sales and Marketing. “Not only can our guests get $50 off a flight, this combined with our other promotions lets them earn free nights and save on baggage fees at the same time.”

How to get the Black Friday Deal

* Follow @IHG_Deals on Twitter
* Look for tweets that direct you to a limited-time link with the Black Friday deal
* Register for the promotion
* Book just one Friday, Saturday or Sunday night between Nov. 1 and Nov. 29 for stays Nov. 1 - April 30, 2011
* Complete your stay
* Get $50 off your next flight

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InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is the world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms. IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns, through various subsidiaries, over 4,500 hotels and more than 650,000 guest rooms in 100 countries and territories around the world. The Group owns a portfolio of well recognized 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 program, Priority Club® Rewards with 52 million members worldwide.

IHG has over 1,200 hotels in its development pipeline, which we expect to create 160,000 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.