IHG Named To Fortune's 2014 "World's Most Admired Companies" List

ATLANTA, March 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (IHG®), one of the world's leading hotel companies, has been named to FORTUNE Magazine's 2014 "World's Most Admired Companies" list*. Celebrating ten years as a standalone hotel company, this is IHG's first-ever recognition on this list. IHG was ranked fourth in the Hotels, Casinos and Resorts Industry Category. And with a portfolio of more than 4,700 hotels and 687,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories, IHG led its industry category on the 'Global Competitiveness' key attribute. 

Kirk Kinsell, President of IHG's Americas business commented: "Being among FORTUNE's "World's Most Admired Companies" is thanks to the more than 350,000 employees around the world who bring our nine brands to life; guests who spend more than 161 million nights in our hotels each year; owners who are loyal to building and growing with the IHG family of brands; and shareholders who are committed to our financial success. This recognition is further validation that we are delivering on our core purpose of creating Great Hotels Guests Love®."

IHG ranked third in its industry on the key attributes of 'Social Responsibility' and 'Use of Corporate Assets,' reinforcing the company's commitment to being a responsible business and consistently executing on its strategy to be the first choice for hotel guests and owners while returning value to shareholders. 

Kinsell added: "We are proud of our achievements in these areas. Our people and our brands are our best assets. No other company has the talented people that we do or our diverse portfolio of well-loved hotel brands. We are well-positioned for the competitive road ahead with these resources, as well as by maintaining our focus on doing business responsibly and creating a more sustainable environment and communities around the world."

IHG has a strong track-record of being a highly innovative company. Our iconic Holiday Inn® brand pioneered the lodging industry more than 60 years ago and our IHG® Rewards Club was the industry's first hotel loyalty program. This year IHG will open the doors on its first EVEN™ Hotels properties in Norwalk, CT and Rockville, MD, bringing travelers in the U.S. the first hotel brand with a holistic solution for enabling wellness. 

The EVEN Hotels brand continues to grow in strong urban markets, with three additional properties in the development pipeline in the New York City area IHG remains focused on growing across its brands in the biggest markets and segments worldwide, with more than 1,100 hotels and 180,000 rooms in its pipeline including nearly 700 hotels and 76,000 rooms in the Americas.

*Notes on Methodology: FORTUNE reviewed approximately 1,400 companies and selected the largest 15 for each international industry and the largest 10 for each U.S. industry, surveying a total of 692 companies from 30 countries. Fortunate rated companies based on nine criteria, from investment value to social responsibility. To create the 57 industry lists, survey partner Hay Group asked executives, directors, and analysts to rate companies in their industries on nine criteria, from investment value to social responsibility. (A company's score must have ranked in the top half of its industry survey to be listed.)

Notes to Editors:
IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) (LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)) is a global organization with a broad portfolio of nine hotel brands, including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo®, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites®, Candlewood Suites®, EVEN™ Hotels and HUALUXE™ Hotels & Resorts. IHG manages IHG® Rewards Club, the world's first and largest hotel loyalty program with over 77 million members worldwide. 

The program was relaunched in July 2013, offering enhanced benefits for members including free internet across all hotels, globally.

IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns 4,700 hotels and 687,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories. With more than 1,100 hotels in its development pipeline, IHG expects to recruit around 90,000 people into additional roles across its estate 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.

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

SOURCE InterContinental Hotels Group