IHG Becomes First Global Hotel Company to Reward Loyalty Points for Geolocation Check-Ins

ATLANTA, July 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) the world's largest hotel group by number of rooms today announced that Priority Club® members who become Topguest members will now be awarded loyalty points with each geolocation check-in at any one of its more than 4,400 hotels across the globe.  Topguest is a new platform that gives travelers loyalty points and rewards for "check-ins" on all major location-based-services (LBS) applications, including Foursquare, Twitter, Gowalla, Yelp, Loopt and Google Latitude.  IHG is the first global hotel company to partner with Topguest.

"Partnering with Topguest allows us to reward our members with Priority Club points each time they virtually check-in at an IHG hotel, whether it's for a good night's sleep, or for a coffee in the hotel's restaurant," said Lincoln Barrett, vice president, Guest Marketing and Alliances, IHG. "We think it has the potential to further enhance loyalty with current and future guests."

With each "check-in" on any major LBS application, members will receive 50 Priority Club points, up to 50 points per day. Points will be deposited into members' Priority Club Rewards accounts within six weeks of the check-in. Priority Club points can be redeemed for rewards such as hotel stays, flights, or dining and shopping certificates.

"We're more than excited to partner with the world's largest hotel loyalty program to reward Topguest members for their geo check-ins," said Geoffrey Lewis, co-founder & CEO, Topguest. "Topguest aims to create new value for the entire geolocation ecosystem and we are confident this landmark partnership will drive adoption of LBS applications and excite more LBS users to check-in at more venues more often, benefiting everyone -- including the applications themselves."

For more information on how to earn Priority Club points for geolocation check-ins, and to join Topguest visit www.Topguest.com. Membership into Topguest and Priority Club Rewards are free.

About Topguest.com

Topguest gives travelers real loyalty program points and travel rewards for check-ins on all major geolocation applications, automatically. Topguest helps premium lodging, airline, and lifestyle brands unlock the power of geolocation to reward guests and prospective patrons for simply checking in at their properties. Only five weeks old, Topguest partners already include leading industry-leaders such as InterContinental Hotels Group, Andre Balazs' Standard Hotels, and the Soho & Tribeca Grand. Topguest is backed by top Silicon Valley investors including Founders Fund, SV Angel, Keith Rabois, Jeff Clavier, and Naval Ravikant. The founding team is led by Geoffrey Lewis, and includes Ash Fontana and Ozan Onay.

About Priority Club Rewards

With 48 million members globally, IHG's Priority Club Rewards is the first, largest and fastest-growing guest loyalty program in the hotel industry.  Named Best Hotel Rewards Program in the World five years running by Global Traveler magazine and Best Hotel Loyalty Program for three consecutive years by Business Traveler magazine, Priority Club Rewards offers more sought-after benefits and the greatest ease of use of any hotel loyalty program.  In addition to flexible features like No Points Expiration, No Blackout Dates, Points & Cash, Flights Anywhere™ and Hotels Anywhere™, Priority Club Rewards members have more options for point redemption than any other hotel loyalty program.  Members can redeem points not only for hotel nights, but also for airline miles on more than 40 partner airlines, for auto rentals, for gift certificates and for hundreds of products available in the Rewards Catalog.  And Priority Club Rewards is the only hotel loyalty program to offer members a Personal Shopper program that allows members to exchange points for items not found in the Rewards Catalog. Enrollment in Priority Club Rewards is free. Guests can enroll by logging onto priorityclub.com, by calling 1-888-211-9874 or by inquiring at the front desk of any of IHG's more than 4,400 hotels worldwide.

Notes to Editors:

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 4,400 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 48 million members worldwide. IHG has 1,300 hotels in its development pipeline, which will 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. IHG offers information and online reservations for all its hotel brands at www.ihg.com and information for the Priority Club Rewards program at www.priorityclub.com. For the latest news from IHG, visit our online Press Office at www.ihg.com/media

SOURCE IHG Hotels & Resorts