Holiday Inn® Brand Returns To Television With New "Smiles Ahead" Campaign

Multimillion Dollar Advertising Campaign Brings to Life the Joy of Travel for All

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Apr 03, 2017, 13:18 ET

ATLANTA, April 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Holiday Inn^®, an InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) hotel, today introduces its newest marketing campaign, called Smiles Ahead. The new campaign was developed following rigorous global consumer research and insights work and was created to demonstrate how the Holiday Inn brand delivers the joy of travel to all and is redefining expectations for travelers through an unparalleled service culture and the little, thoughtful touches guests can't help but smile about.

Smiles Ahead, the latest marketing campaign from Holiday Inn(R), shows how the brand delivers the joy of travel to everyone. The TV ad features a young girl traveling with her family and her beloved stuffed bear, which the hotel staff embrace as a special guest, bringing smiles to everyone.

It is the Holiday Inn brand's priority and personal promise to go above and beyond to bring smiles to guests' faces, making their stay even more memorable than expected. Whether guests are catching up with family, relaxing after a long day of exploring new sights or celebrating a big win while traveling for business, the Holiday Inn brand's friendly service delivers the same result – Smiles Ahead.

Eric Lent, Vice President, Holiday Inn^® and Crowne Plaza^® Brands, Americas said: "The Holiday Inn brand has been on a journey over the last few years, introducing a new guestroom design, as well as new on property experiences and food & beverage concepts, while driving even greater guest satisfaction through increased service levels, delivering a more enjoyable travel experience for all. With this ongoing evolution comes a continual opportunity to showcase to travelers the welcoming, full-service stay experience our hotels offer. We developed the Smiles Ahead campaign to bring these benefits to life and to highlight how Holiday Inn hotels go above and beyond to give our guests even more to look forward to during their stay with us. The Smiles Ahead campaign is the perfect representation of what the Holiday Inn brand stands for."

Smiles Ahead television advertising, launching today, features a young girl traveling with her family and her beloved stuffed bear, which the hotel staff embrace as a special guest – putting a smile on the girl's face throughout her stay and long after. The multimillion dollar television, digital and experiential campaign, developed in collaboration with Ogilvy & Mather, Weber Shandwick and Mindshare, will appear on network TV and cable, Spanish language cable and across the Holiday Inn brand's various digital platforms, including the brand's Joy of Travel blog.

The song featured in the commercial, "You've Got a Smile," is written and performed by Nashville artist Daniel Ellsworth, whose band Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes was named by Esquire magazine as one of "15 Bands to Watch" following their latest album release. The song will be released in the near future via Soundcloud, Facebook, Bandcamp and YouTube as well as on Spotify and iTunes.

See how the Smiles Ahead campaign is coming to life across media by visiting the Holiday Inn brand's blog, Joy of Travel, at joyoftravel.holidayinn.com.

About the Holiday Inn^® Brand

The Holiday Inn^®brand, which offers nearly 1,250 hotels and resorts worldwide, has helped millions of travelers discover the joy of travel since its inception in 1952. Designed to meet the needs of both business and leisure travelers, Holiday Inn hotels deliver memorable experiences through warm and welcoming service, contemporary design that blends the familiar with the new, and a sense of comfort unique to the brand and its iconic green sign. At Holiday Inn hotels, guests can find amenities to help them work and play, including full-service restaurants where Kids Eat Free, meeting and business facilities, bright swimming pools and comfortable lounges all designed to help guests relax and refresh, making travel more enjoyable for all. For more information about the Holiday Inn brand, visit www.holidayinn.com or call 1-888-HOLIDAY. Find us on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/holidayinn or Facebook www.Facebook.com/holidayinnhotels.

Notes to Editors:

IHG® (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global organisation with a broad portfolio of hotel brands, including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Kimpton® Hotels & Restaurants, Hotel Indigo®, EVEN® Hotels, HUALUXE® Hotels and Resorts, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites® and Candlewood Suites®.

IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns nearly 5,200 hotels and 770,000 guest rooms in almost 100 countries, with nearly 1,500 hotels in its development pipeline. IHG also manages IHG® Rewards Club, the world's first and largest hotel loyalty programme, with more than 100 million enrolled members worldwide.

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Group's holding company and is incorporated in Great Britain and registered in England and Wales. More than 350,000 people work across IHG's hotels and corporate offices globally.

Visit www.ihg.com for hotel information and reservations and www.ihgrewardsclub.com for more on IHG Rewards Club. For our latest news, visit: www.ihgplc.com/media and follow us on social media at: www.twitter.com/ihg, www.facebook.com/ihg and www.youtube.com/ihgplc.

SOURCE IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group)