Soccer, Baseball, Hockey, Cheerleading...You Name the Sport, Everyone's a Winner With The Holiday Inn Express® Team Travel Program!

ATLANTA, June 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) is simplifying youth sports travel with the launch of its "Team Travel Program" coupled with its all-star offerings that make parents, coaches and athletes cheer.  From the soccer field to the baseball diamond, the parents of more than 40 million youth athletes will take their kids to and from practice, enroll them in clinics and camps, and pack up to attend dozens of games, sometimes up to 50 miles away from home.  This season, IHG's new "Team Travel Program" is taking the hassle out of booking by providing personalized service so parents can make one less game-time decision.

IHG's Holiday Inn Express hotels are a one-stop resource for families traveling for team sports.  It's new hassle-free "Team Travel Program" saves parents and coaches time and effort spent researching location after location by suggesting properties that accommodate groups of all sizes with amenities that suit the needs of the team – from free breakfast to swimming pools. The program also offers a personalized sports web site for each team, taking the work out of team administration, where parents can easily book the designated hotel for games.  

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, kids who eat breakfast gain all the advantages for an edge over the competition: more energy, better performance and more concentration.  

"All 1,800 Holiday Inn Express hotels in the Americas offer free breakfast – a huge value for teams on the road," said Steve Ekdahl, IHG's marketing director of leisure travel. "Our complimentary breakfast bar not only provides guests with a convenient, healthy start to their day, but it's also a source of savings for parents who want to make every dollar count."  Scrambled eggs, pancakes, fresh fruit, bacon, cereal and yogurt are among the many items offered in the Express Start(SM) Breakfast Bar that put teams on a winning track.  

Between games, teams and their fans can recharge by cooling off in the pool, staying in shape in the fitness center or relaxing and catching up on homework with free WiFi.

"Holiday Inn Express provides young athletes with all they need to get ready for a big game," said world-renowned U.S. soccer star and mom Brandi Chastain. "As an athlete, you face intense physical demands throughout the day and it's important to give your body a solid foundation with proper rest, a healthy breakfast and time to unwind after the game with your teammates."

To learn more about Holiday Inn Express' offerings for team sports travel and additional information, visit www.holidayinnexpress.com/teamtravel.  

About Holiday Inn Express

Holiday Inn Express hotels are modern hotels for value-oriented travelers.  Fresh, clean and uncomplicated, Holiday Inn Express hotels offer competitive rates for both business and leisure travelers. Guests Stay Smart® at Holiday Inn Express hotels where they enjoy a free, hot Express Start® Breakfast Bar, free high-speed Internet access and free local phone calls (US and Canada only).  There are currently more than 2,000 Holiday Inn Express hotel locations around the globe.  For more information about Holiday Inn Express hotels or to book reservations, call 1-800-HOLIDAY or visit www.hiexpress.com.

Notes to Editors:

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global company operating seven well-known 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® . IHG also manages Priority Club® Rewards, the world's first and largest hotel loyalty program with 58 million members worldwide.

IHG is the world's largest hotel group by number of rooms and IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns, through various subsidiaries, a portfolio of over 4,400 hotels and more than 652,000 guest rooms in 100 countries and territories around the world.

IHG has more than 1,200 hotels in its development pipeline and expects to recruit around 160,000 people 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 http://www.ihg.com and information for the Priority Club Rewards programme at www.priorityclub.com. For our latest news visit www.ihg.com/media, Twitter www.twitter.com/ihgplc or YouTube http://www.youtube.com/ihgplc

SOURCE IHG Hotels & Resorts