Press Room

IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)], one of the world's largest hotel groups by number of rooms announced today that the 169-room, 21st-century Holiday Inn Fort Myers Airport @ Town Center in Fort Myers, Florida has plans to open February 3rd, 2009!

Developed to be more efficient to build, operate and maintain, the Holiday Inn Fort Myers Airport @ Town Center will bring the iconic heritage of the Holiday Inn brand to life in a modern, innovative design that will set new standards for business travelers, meeting planners and families alike. The hotel will have over 6,800 total square feet of available meeting and banquet space for local, state, regional and even national conferences and events.

“We are proud to welcome the Holiday Inn Fort Myers Airport @ Town Center to the Holiday Inn family,” said John Merkin, senior vice president, Brand Management, Holiday Inn Brands, The Americas. “With this hotel design, Holiday Inn has arrived at the perfect convergence of tradition and innovation that will define the Holiday Inn of the future, offering the value and authenticity business travelers, meeting planners and families expect from this beloved brand. The Holiday Inn Fort Myers Airport @ Town Center represents the new face of the brand that is redefining guest comfort in towns across America.”

The hotel’s full-service restaurant will be called “Oasis”, which overlooks Lake Alico in a new concept that assimilates nicely with the open, contemporary new design features. The “Oasis” restaurant will offer a wide array of fresh regional cuisine featuring menu items such as Gulf coast scallop crab cakes and Roasted pork tenderloin with a dry cherry apricot glaze. The standard Holiday Inn Best-4-Breakfastâ menu, featuring signature items such as Cinnamon Supreme French Toast™, Low-Carb Inspirations™ and Skillet Inspirations™ will be a big hit! Kids 12 and younger eat free during a stay at Holiday Inn when ordering from the kids’ menu in the hotel restaurant and accompanied by a dining adult. Room Service Right…On Time™, also a standard at all Holiday Inn hotels, ensures that guests’ room service orders are accurate and delivered on time, every time.

The hotel design debuts a bold change in room décor for Holiday Inn, creating a residential atmosphere with “spa like” colors that are warm and inviting yet sophisticated and contemporary. Each guestroom features a newly designed breakaway armoire that allows guests to see the TV from anywhere in the room. Upgraded features like leather ottomans, a variety of lamps, refrigerators and granite vanities will all be standard in each room. The residential design includes business-focused necessities like an ergonomic work station, data ports, complimentary high speed Internet access, WiFi capabilities and AT&T VoIP phone systems, which will allow guests to conduct conference calls for up to six participants even while using their computer online. In addition, each room will have the standard Holiday Inn guestroom accommodations – comfortable double, queen or king-sized beds, a sitting area with a lounge chair, cable television, hairdryer, coffee maker, iron and ironing board.

The Holiday Inn Fort Myers Airport @ Town Center will also offer a variety of other amenities such as an outdoor lakefront pool, outdoor in ground fire pit, indoor / outdoor “Oasis” lounge bar and State-of-the-art fitness center featuring PRECOR equipment. With over 6,800 sq. ft. of indoor / outdoor function space, the hotel will also be available for business meetings and banquets accommodating conferences and events up to 300 attendees utilizing up to 150 guestrooms per night based on availability. Jon E. Lemke, CHME; Director of Sales and Marketing states “Southwest Florida and Fort Myers is a well-traveled market and a perfect fit for business travelers and a variety of meetings, conferences and banquet events. Our property will fill a need for meeting planners who are looking for a great property that offers excellent value with flexible space with a staff that provides the highest quality service”

Conveniently located just off Interstate I 75 and Alico road at exit 128 adjacent to the Ashley / City Furniture stores in the northeast corner of the development at the end of Interstate Commerce Drive. The property is within walking distance of the Gulf Coast Town Center (outdoor “lifestyle” setting) and a wide variety of shopping, dining and entertainment options. Complimentary airport shuttle service will be available to and from the Fort Myers International Airport for all guests. In addition, Germain Arena, Florida Gulf Coast University and many other popular local area points of interest are a short drive away.

“A home-away-from-home for generations of travelers, Holiday Inn has always represented quality and comfort, and this new hotel takes the Holiday Inn experience to a whole new level,” said Brian Holly, Managing Director. “We’re proud to be a part of the next generation of Holiday Inn”.

Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts participates in IHG’s guest loyalty program, Priority Club® Rewards. The industry’s first and largest guest loyalty program has over 37 million members. Priority Club Rewards membership is free and guests can enroll by logging on at priorityclub.com, by calling 1-888-211-9874 or by inquiring at the front desk of this hotel or any of IHG’s almost 4,000 hotels worldwide.

The Holiday Inn Fort Myers Airport @ Town Center is owned by Alico Lodging, LLP and managed by Twenty / Twenty Worldwide Hospitality, LLC, both of Naples Florida, said Fred Hirschovits CEO, under a license agreement with Intercontinental Hotels Group.

About Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts
With nearly 1,400 hotels worldwide, Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts is the most widely recognized lodging brand in the world. In fact, Holiday Inn was one of the first international hotel brands to establish a presence in China in 1984. Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts provides the services that business travelers need, while also offering a comfortable atmosphere where all people can relax and enjoy amenities such as restaurants and room service, swimming pools, fitness centers and comfortable lounges. The casual atmosphere and amenities such as meeting and on-site business facilities, KidSuites rooms, and Kids Eat and Stay Free programs, demonstrate the long-standing commitment of Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts to serving travelers and have helped to establish the brand as “America’s Favorite Hotel.” For more information about Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts or to book reservations, call 1-800-HOLIDAY or visit www.holidayinn.com.