IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON: IHG, NYSE: IHG (ADRs)], the world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms, announces the opening of the Holiday Inn Express® Hotel & Suites Ottawa West.  The hotel is part of an overall IHG effort to best meet the needs of business and leisure travellers to this area.

Located minutes from Britannia Bay Beach, Bayshore Shopping Centre, Nepean Equestrian Park, Algonquin College and the Ottawa Civic Centre, the 115-room hotel is 15 minutes west of downtown Ottawa. The property is accessible to businesses such as Ciena, Avaya, Ericsson, General Dynamics Canada, Alcatel-Lucent, Research In Motion and Hewlett-Packard Canada, making the hotel a convenient option for both business and leisure travellers alike.

The property will also showcase the Holiday Inn Express brand’s new sign, which is the seal of approval that this hotel exemplifies the standards of the $1 billion Holiday Inn brand relaunch program. First announced in 2007, the relaunch program was established to create a more contemporary brand image as part of the drive to increase quality and consistency across the global portfolio. The program focuses on arrival and welcome services, guestroom, and guest bath comfort. The global estate of more than 3,300 Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express properties is expected to be relaunched by the end of 2010, and more than 2,500 hotels have already been relaunched to date.

The relaunch focuses on the things research shows matter most to guests - a modern, contemporary hotel with efficient, friendly service and a great night’s sleep.  Relaunched hotels such as the Holiday Inn Express Ottawa West feature:

  * Upgraded and decluttered lobby areas
  * A Holiday Inn Express signature scent and sound
  * New exterior lighting
  * New signage with the redesigned logo
  * All Holiday Inn employees also go through an extensive “Stay Real” training program to ensure guests receive the level of service they expect.

Guests at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Ottawa West will experience a comfortable and smart environment with innovative preferred guest upgrades to ensure a productive stay while travelling for business or leisure. The hotel’s newly enhanced complimentary Express Start® breakfast bar will feature a full selection of hot breakfast bar items such as scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage patties, omelettes and Smart Roast® coffee. The SimplySmart™ shower incorporates a proprietary Stay Smart™ Kohler showerhead, signature shower curtain with curved rod, upgraded 100 percent cotton terry towels and a custom line of cinnamon-scented bath products.  Guests will also enjoy the SimplySmart™ bedding collection where they will find new crisp fresh bedding which features an attractive decorative throw, a medium-weight duvet blanket and soft 200 thread-count sheets.

In addition to the standard amenities, the Ottawa West property offers 32” LCD TVs in all guestrooms, an indoor heated pool, and fitness centre.  The hotel also has five in-room spa suites, providing a relaxing and pampering oasis with a king bed or two queen beds, living room, hospitality unit and work desk with padded chair.  The hotel guest rooms also feature the standard Holiday Inn Express amenities, such as comfortable queen or king-sized beds, a sitting area with a lounge chair and an in-room coffee machine featuring complimentary Smart Roast 100% Arabica coffee.  Business travellers will find large desks, ergonomic chairs, free high-speed internet access, free local and toll free phone calls (U.S. and Canada only) and phones with private voicemail.

“We are very excited to be opening our doors,” said Darren Ryan, general manager of Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Ottawa West.  “We have invested in this property with the goal of providing visitors of the area with a hotel that is convenient while maintaining a relaxed atmosphere with all the latest in comfort, and we are thrilled with the end result.”

Holiday Inn Express hotels participate in IHG’s guest loyalty program, Priority Club® Rewards. The industry’s first and largest guest loyalty program has 48 million members.  Priority Club Rewards membership is free and guests can enroll by logging on www.priorityclub.com, calling 1-888-211-9874 or by inquiring at the front desk of this hotel or any of IHG’s nearly 4,400 hotels worldwide.