Relief From Checked Baggage Fees! IHG Now Pays Back Up to $100 in Round-Trip Checked Baggage Fees

ATLANTA, Jan. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Travelers can revel in long winter weekends and spring break sprees without the inconvenience of checked baggage fees because today, IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) the world's largest hotel group announced it will be extending its "Check It Free" promotion through April 30, 2011. Guests can now get back up to $100 in checked baggage fees for each roundtrip flight with a two-night weekend stay at any of IHG's 4,500 hotels worldwide including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo®, Holiday Inn®, Holiday Inn® Club Vacations, Holiday Inn® Express, Staybridge Suites® and Candlewood Suites®.

IHG initiated its first Check It Free promotion period in fall 2010 to help guests save on travel expenses.  Building on its popularity, the hotel group has extended the promotion period and doubled its reimbursement offer to $100 from $50.  

Consider these statistics:

• According to the Consumer Travel Alliance, in a recent survey of more than 1,300 travelers, 91 percent of respondents rated carry-on baggage fees "very annoying"
• Checked bag charges have become commonplace in the airline industry with many airlines charging a minimum of $25 per checked bag
• The Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported that travelers paid $1.6 billion in checked baggage fees in the first half of 2010 alone.  This, combined with additional hidden fees, has led more than 50,000 consumers to sign a petition to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) urging it to require airlines to disclose fees in advance.  

To submit for reimbursement of baggage fees, U.S. residents may receive an IHG Visa® Prepaid Card valued up to $100 by following three simple steps:

1. Book a two-night consecutive weekend stay (on Friday, Saturday or Sunday) 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 January 1 through April 30, 2011 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 of up to $100 per household for two bags on the same trip. All submissions must be postmarked by May 31, 2011.

For more information about IHG's "Check It Free" promotion and 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-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®.  We also manage the world's largest hotel loyalty program, Priority Club® Rewards with 52 million members worldwide.

IHG has over 1,200 hotels in its development pipeline which we expect to 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. For our latest news visit www.ihgplc.com/media, YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/ihgplc or Twitter www.twitter.com/ihgplc.

SOURCE IHG Hotels & Resorts