InterContinental Hotels Group (Lon: IHG) (ADRs), the world’s most global
hotel company, received what is perhaps the industry’s highest form of
compliment—recognition for guest satisfaction. Two IHG brands—
InterContinental Hotels & Resorts and Candlewood Suites—were honored
recently by Market Metrix, LLC for superiority in customer satisfaction
during the fourth quarter of 2003.
In a Market Metrix Hospitality Index survey, customers named
InterContinental Hotels & Resorts as the top luxury hotel for the first
time, and Candlewood Suites earned top honors in the extended-stay hotel
segment for the second consecutive quarter.

“InterContinental Hotels Group always strives to ensure guests have a high
quality experience at our hotels,” said Tom Seddon, senior vice president
of Americas Brand Performance for IHG. “Customer satisfaction is a sure
measure of our success, and we place a great value on it. In fact, in
September 2003, IHG initiated a new GUEST quality assessment program that
focuses solely on customer feedback and helps hotels quickly respond to
guests’ comments.”

InterContinental Hotels & Resorts has been a recognized brand since 1946
and was acquired by IHG in 1998. Candlewood Suites was founded in 1995 and
was recently acquired to expand IHG’s presence in the mid-scale
extended-stay market.

“Since its inception, the Candlewood Suites brand has set a premium on
delivering a high quality, high value guest experience and is a perfect
fit for the IHG family. InterContinental Hotels also has a history of
providing upscale travelers with great experiences and unparalleled
service for years,” Seddon added. “These brands are a great representation
of IHG as a whole, and we are very pleased that they have been recognized
as the best by the people who mean the most to us—our guests.”

In addition to InterContinental Hotels and Candlewood Suites, the IHG
portfolio includes Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn Hotels &
Resorts, Holiday Inn Express and Staybridge Suites. It is the world’s most
global hotel company, with more than 3,400 hotels and 530,000 rooms in
nearly 100 countries.

The Market Metrix Hospitality Index is a quarterly customer satisfaction
report of hotel, airline and car rental companies based on 35,000 in-depth
interviews of customers of 135 hotel brands, 25 airlines and 11 car rental
companies. The MMHI ranks top hospitality brands by industry and in
categories such as luxury, mid-price and economy.

Based in San Rafael, CA, Market Metrix, LLC was founded in 1996 to provide
the hospitality industry with better customer and employee satisfaction
measurement programs and management tools. In addition to MMHI, Market
Metrix also operates the Consumer Research Center, which provides focus
group facilities, data entry services and a state-of-the-art specialty
call center.
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