InterContinental Hotels Group, the world’s largest and most global hotel company, today announces
the development of its first new build Hotel Indigo hotel, scheduled to
open in Sarasota, Fla., in early 2006. The new hotel will be located in the northeast quadrant of U.S. 41 and
Sixth Street (known as the Boulevard of the Arts), near the Sarasota Opera
House, the Van Wezel Performing Arts Center and the Florida West Coast
Symphony.

“We’re excited to announce this location so soon after our recent brand
launch. We created Hotel Indigo for travelers seeking an experience, as
well as a destination, and Sarasota will provide a sophisticated backdrop
for this ‘lifestyle’ hotel,” said Jim Anhut, senior vice president of
Brand Development, InterContinental Hotels Group.

Hotel Indigo was designed to address the desires of style conscious guests
who are seeking experience and quality over pure, mundane functionality
when traveling. The first Hotel Indigo opened in Atlanta in October 2004
and the second is set to open in Chicago in March 2005.

The Sarasota location will feature brand standards such as: The Golden
Bean, a bistro-style restaurant and bar that serves seasonal,
health-conscious fare and Starbucks coffee; signature oversized lobby
chairs, which create a personal work or dining space within the public
areas of the hotel; complimentary high-speed Internet access in all
guestrooms and wireless access in the lobby area; and cozy, inviting
guestroom with wood flooring, changeable wall murals, area rugs and slip
covers.

Unique to the Hotel Indigo in Sarasota will be an outdoor heated pool and
“Phi"tness Studio with cardio equipment and free weights.

Extending the retail model from design through service, guests of the
Hotel Indigo in Sarasota will be welcomed into an accommodating
environment that is open and inviting. A non-traditional front desk
structure will allow staff the flexibility to move throughout the lobby
area in order to greet arriving guests and staff or “innkeepers,” as they
are known, will be cross- trained to accommodate and enhance the way
guests’ needs are met.

The property will be in part owned and wholly managed by Wesley
Hospitality, a company with more than 100 years of combined hotel
management experience operating limited- and full-service hotels, boutique
inns and resorts.

“Wesley Hospitality puts service first in their business, which is a
perfect fit with Hotel Indigo’s more retail-based culture,” Anhut said.
“The expertise Wesley Hospitality provides will help maintain the
hallmarks of the Hotel Indigo brand and be invaluable in the success of
this newest hotel.”

“We believe Sarasota is the ideal setting for a brand concept like Hotel
Indigo,” said Wayne McAteer, president and CEO for Wesley Hospitality.
With amenities like overstuffed pillows and spa-type showers, it will mesh
perfectly with the cosmopolitan nature of the Sarasota area.”

This third installment will be the first new build in the Hotel Indigo
family; both Atlanta and Chicago are housed in renovated historical
properties.
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