Holiday Inn® Kicks Off An Unforgettable "Summer Of Smiles" Featuring "Stranger Things" Star Gaten Matarazzo & New Experiences The Whole Family Will Enjoy

Brand Teams Up with Scholastic, fairlife® and Otis Spunkmeyer® to Deliver Thoughtful Moments Sure to Make Guests Smile

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May 31, 2017, 12:47 ET

ATLANTA, May 31, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Holiday Inn^®, an InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) hotel, will host a collection of new experiences crafted specifically for families during its first ever "Summer of Smiles" program. Beginning in June, select Holiday Inn hotels will host on-property events through the brand's new collaboration with Scholastic to help keep kids reading all summer long. Events also include Chocolate Milk Happy Hours in partnership with fairlife^® ultra-filtered milk and Otis Spunkmeyer^® baked goods. The "Summer of Smiles" program brings to life the Holiday Inn brand's new Smiles Ahead campaign, which celebrates how the brand delivers the joy of travel to all through an unparalleled service culture.

This June, select Holiday Inn hotels in the U.S. will host a complimentary Chocolate Milk Happy Hour, offering parents and kids an unforgettable take on the classic afternoon snack.

This summer, the Holiday Inn collaboration with Scholastic will include breakfast with popular book characters and a Lending Library for kids to borrow a book during their stay.

The multimillion dollar television, digital and experiential Smiles Ahead marketing campaign launched in April. The campaign underscores the brand's priority and personal promise to go above and beyond to make guests' stays even more memorable than expected, and the "Summer of Smiles" program is an in-hotel extension of the campaign designed to make both parents and kids smile.

Actor Gaten Matarazzo, best known for his role as Dustin Henderson on the Netflix show "Stranger Things," will serve as the Holiday Inn brand's Kid Ambassador throughout the summer – showcasing how Holiday Inn hotels are kid endorsed and parent approved. Matarazzo will host one of the brand's in-hotel "Summer of Smiles" events, where he will mingle and interact with guests, and will help bring the program to life across social media, showing his fans and followers the little thoughtful touches they can only get at Holiday Inn hotels. Matarazzo started his career in theatre, starring in "Priscilla Queen of the Desert" and "Les Misérables." At only 14 years old, he has added an MTV Award for 'Show of the Year' ("Stranger Things") and the 2017 SAG Award for 'Best Ensemble in a Drama Series' ("Stranger Things") to his impressive and rapidly growing resume.

Scholastic Events

Character Breakfasts
The Holiday Inn brand has teamed up with Scholastic, the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books, to put smiles on kids' faces – one good book at a time. From June – August, select Holiday Inn hotels will invite kids to breakfast with popular Scholastic book characters Clifford the Big Red Dog® and Geronimo Stilton, and gift them a Scholastic book at check-in the week of the event. Kids can meet and take pictures with their favorite characters, keeping them smiling about reading while on the road this summer. Kids will also receive a take-home frame to display their character photo and can take part in fun craft activities during the breakfast. For a list of participating Holiday Inn hotels and event dates, visit HolidayInn.com/smilesahead.

Total Solar Eclipse Viewing Party
On Aug. 21, the Holiday Inn Nashville-Vanderbilt hotel and Scholastic will provide guests with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to watch the first total solar eclipse in America in nearly 100 years. The hotel is along the eclipse totality line, providing families with the optimal view of this rare celestial occurrence. Kids and parents alike will learn about space with the "Magic School Bus Presents: Our Solar System" book while cherishing this unforgettable moment together. Guests will also receive a special pair of eclipse-viewing glasses and have the opportunity to meet two Scholastic characters. The solar eclipse viewing party is complimentary for hotel guests. For bookings, click here.

Lending Library
From June – August, select Holiday Inn hotels will offer a Scholastic lending library where kids can borrow a book to read during their stay. Parents who are away from home on business can also borrow a book to read their kids a virtual bedtime story. Participating hotels will lend traveling parents a stand for their smartphone or tablet so they can read hands-free to their little ones at home. For a list of participating Holiday Inn hotels, visit HolidayInn.com/smilesahead.

Chocolate Milk Happy Hour
This summer, Holiday Inn hotels will offer parents and kids an unforgettable take on a classic afternoon snack. In June, select hotels will host a complimentary Chocolate Milk Happy Hour featuring indulgences both parents and kids can feel good about. Guests will have the opportunity to enjoy fairlife^® ultra-filtered milk, which has 50 percent more protein and 50 percent less sugar than ordinary milk - and is lactose free - and the new Delicious Essentials™ cookies from Otis Spunkmeyer^®, which are made with 51 percent whole grain. Chocolate Milk Happy Hour days and times vary by location. For a list of participating Holiday Inn hotels, visit HolidayInn.com/smilesahead.

Eric Lent, Vice President, Full Service Hotels & Food and Beverage Solutions, The Americas said: "Nothing puts a smile on kids' faces like summertime, and we want all of our guests to feel that same sense of joy when they visit our hotels this summer. We're going above and beyond to celebrate even more of those unforgettable moments that truly put the joy in travel and leave a positive lasting impact on our guests. The beloved characters and popular books from Scholastic combined with fairlife and Otis Spunkmeyer's nutritious, yet delicious, treats have helped us create a unique and fun summer program that will create life-long memories for both kids and parents alike."

Follow along with the Holiday Inn brand's "Summer of Smiles" program on Facebook and on the 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.

About IHG®

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.

About fairlife, LLC
fairlife, LLC is a health and wellness dairy company that produces and markets premium-quality, value-added, great tasting milk products – from farmers who share your values – crafted into real food nutrition that provides you with the vitality you need to live a fulfilled life. fairlife, LLC's patented cold filtration process filters milk to increase natural protein and minerals and decrease lactose and sugar. In 2012, Select Milk Producers entered into a partnership with The Coca-Cola Company to form fairlife, LLC. The Coca-Cola Company is the distribution partner for the products that fairlife, LLC, creates, market and sells. fairlife, LLC owns and operates its own state-of-the-art plant in Michigan. fairlife, LLC, produces fairlife ultra-filtered milk, a high protein, reduced sugar great-tasting milk for the whole family; Core Power, a high protein milkshake for athletes and fitness enthusiasts; fairlife Superkids, a DHA Omega-3 rich milk for growing minds and bodies; fairlife Smart Milkshakes, a treat with protein, antioxidants and fiber; and YUP!, a delicious line of flavored milks. For more information, visit http://fairlife.com, http://www.yupmilk.com/ and http://corepower.com.

About Otis Spunkmeyer
Otis Spunkmeyer®, an ARYZTA® brand, has been a pioneer in the fresh-baked cookie business and a leader in the sweet baked goods industry for 40 years. Otis Spunkmeyer began in 1977 as a California chain of retail cookie stores, and soon expanded its business to foodservice operators, offering a fresh-baked cookie program complete with ovens and merchandising tools. As the #1 selling foodservice cookie dough in America, in 2016 Otis Spunkmeyer took their famous cookies, along with 20 new delicious sweet treats, and launched into retail.

ARYZTA is a global company with a leadership position in specialty frozen bakery. Formed from leading bakery companies around the world, its innovative food portfolio includes breads, artisan breads, cookies, donuts, pastries, cakes, muffins, buns, pizza, flatbreads from beloved brands like La Brea Bakery®, Otis Spunkmeyer®, Oakrun Farm Bakery®, Big Texas®, Cloverhill® and more. To learn more, visit www.aryztaamericas.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

SOURCE IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group)