Think Fast, Win Big; Priority Club® Rewards Launches Hotel Industry's First Online Gaming Platform

ATLANTA, Feb. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In less time than it takes to brush their teeth, members of Priority Club® Rewards, the world's largest hotel loyalty program, could score thousands of loyalty points for simply answering travel trivia questions in a new online game, "Win It in a Minute." IHG's (InterContinental Hotels Group) Priority Club Rewards is the first hotel rewards program to launch an online gaming platform where members can win loyalty points by competing against one another.  Each round of "Win It in a Minute" takes less than one minute to play - players have a maximum of 12 seconds to answer each of their five daily questions.

There is a global trend toward businesses integrating games into marketing and advertising initiatives. Joel Brodie, CEO and founder of Gamezebo.com, the online casual games news and reviews community website, wrote "The power of games to affect consumer behavior is almost limitless. [...] This is clearly the future." Additionally, Forrester Research, Inc. reported that 40 percent of U.S. frequent travelers play online games.

Priority Club Rewards sees the strategic potential in adopting and advancing this trend in a meaningful way.  "Our research has consistently confirmed that Priority Club® members appreciate new and unique ways to engage with the program and earn more points," said Don Berg, vice president, Loyalty Programs, IHG. "'Win It in a Minute' gives them a great opportunity to do both and compete with other members in a fast-paced and fun, online game.  We are confident that as we continue to build our gaming platform, it will make Priority Club Rewards more valuable and engaging for our members."

Priority Club Rewards is the longest-established loyalty program in the hotel industry yet continues to break new ground in understanding and responding to consumers' changing needs and interests.  Today's frequent travelers are increasingly diverse in terms of both socioeconomic and geographic demographics, and Priority Club Rewards believes it is essential to explore innovative technological platforms such as gaming to more effectively reach young, new members and establish new ways to engage with its most valued and loyal guests.

How to win Priority Club points through online gaming:

• Visit  www.priorityclub.com/winpoints between Jan. 24 – April 15, 2011
• Compete against fellow Priority Club members in a travel-themed trivia game
• Act fast! Gamers have 12 seconds to answer each trivia question
• Top 50 scores each weekday win 5,000 Priority Club points
• Top 100 cumulative scores each week win 15,000 Priority Club points
• All can play, but only eligible members from the US, UK, and Canada can win points.

To learn more about Priority Club Rewards or to become a member, please visit www.priorityclub.com.  For travel tips and more ways to earn Priority Club points, follow us on Twitter® at @PriorityClub and @IHG_Deals.    

About Priority Club Rewards

With 52 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 six years running by Global Traveler magazine and Best Hotel Loyalty Program for four 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 4,500 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 4,500 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 InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG)