IHG Pays Back Guests for Their Checked Bag Fees This Holiday Season

ATLANTA, Aug. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- As U.S. residents make travel plans for the holidays, or simply for a weekend getaway between now and the end of the year, IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) is rewarding their guests by reimbursing checked baggage fees. Beginning Aug. 16, when travellers book two consecutive weekend nights at any one of the 4,500 IHG hotels worldwide for stays between Sept. 1 and Dec. 30, 2010, their checked bag is free. Travellers can participate each and every weekend they stay with an IHG hotel during the "Check It Free" promotion period, when they pay for their hotel stay using their Visa® Card.

The average fee for the first checked bag on a roundtrip domestic flight is fifty dollars and according to a recent Consumer Reports magazine survey on travel gripes, luggage charges came out on top.

"With Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the December holidays just around the corner there are many opportunities for weekend getaways, or even a week-long vacation," said Del Ross, vice president, U.S. Sales & Marketing. "But baggage fees can really add up, dipping into the overall travel budget, so we'd like to cover our guests' checked bag fees for the next seventeen weeks to help make their leisure more convenient and enjoyable."

U.S. residents simply submit for reimbursement of baggage fees and receive up to $850 in IHG Visa Prepaid Cards for qualifying visits during the promotional period by following these three simple steps:

1. Book a two-night weekend stay now at any InterContinental®, Hotel Indigo®, Crowne Plaza®, Holiday Inn®, Holiday Inn® Club Vacations, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites® or Candlewood Suites®
2. Stay between Sept. 1 – Dec. 30, 2010 and pay using a valid Visa credit card
3. Download a rebate form via www.ihg.com/freebag and submit it with copies of your hotel receipt* and baggage fee receipt for the same trip postmarked by Jan. 31, 2011

For more information about IHG's "Check It Free" promotion and for Full Terms and Conditions, visit www.ihg.com/freebag.

*See full terms and conditions for third-party bookings (Travelocity, Orbitz, Expedia and Booking.com)

The IHG Visa Prepaid Card is issued by MetaBank™ pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc.

Notes to Editors:

About InterContinental Hotels Group

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 recognised 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 programme, Priority Club® Rewards with 52 million members worldwide.

IHG has over 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 programme at www.priorityclub.com. For the latest news from IHG, visit our online Press Office at www.ihg.com/media

SOURCE InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG)