Holiday Inn Express® Brand Launches Fall Sleep Campaign with Amber Mac

Hotel Brand Makes Sleep Quality for Guests a Top Priority

TORONTO, Sept. 13, 2016 /CNW/ - InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), one of the world's leading hotel companies, and Canadian tech expert Amber Mac are on a mission to help guests get a better night's sleep. This fall, Holiday Inn Express^® guests are encouraged to sleep in with the launch of Snoozapalooza, a new promotion that extends both breakfast and check-out time until noon every weekend throughout the fall. For a limited time, Holiday Inn Express^® guests will also find a sleep book in their room (titled Bring Your Zzzz Game) which illustrates tips on how to get a good night's rest.

Research continues to point to the importance of sleep quality on health, wellness, and daily productivity, and the Holiday Inn Express brand is doing more for its guests to ensure they are well-rested. The brand follows a five point scorecard to evaluate a guest's quality of stay including: bed comfort, noise levels, room temperature, lighting and the cleanliness of the suite.

Jennifer Gribble, Vice President, Holiday Inn Express^®, Staybridge Suites^® and Candlewood Suites^® Brands, Americas, IHG says: "For the Holiday Inn Express brand's guests, having a smart and productive stay means getting an extra-long and restful night of sleep, an energizing breakfast and a good, fast cup of coffee at the push of a button. We understand the importance of a great night's sleep and to help guests get more out of weekends this fall, the Holiday Inn Express brand is letting guests eat, sleep and check-out late."

With the brand's new Snoozapalooza promotion, guests can enjoy a free hot Express Start™ breakfast and check-out hours until noon on weekends from Sept. 17 through Dec. 18, 2016. The breakfast bar offers a variety of hot and cold options, plus the Holiday Inn Express brand's one-touch pancake machine which produces a pancake in one minute with the push of a button. In addition, Holiday Inn Express guests enjoy a smart room rate and free Internet.

Amber Mac, Tech Expert, says: "As a busy entrepreneur and frequent traveler, it's challenging for me to wind down when staying in a hotel far from home; however, I know the importance of sleep for my productivity. That's why I enjoy staying at Holiday Inn Express hotels where you get a choice of firm or soft pillows and a free, hot breakfast in the morning. Getting a restful night's sleep while staying in a hotel is an important goal for all of us in our sleep-challenged society."

Taking inspiration from the Holiday Inn Express brand's bedside sleep book, Amber Mac shared her top five tips for powering down on the road:

1. Avoid screen time blues: If you want to settle into a restful sleep, avoid staring at screens before bed (up to an hour). This may not be realistic in all situations, so if you absolutely have to work on a device, try a program that can colour-shift your screen to minimize the amount of blue light emitted.
2. Set the mood: While not everyone likes to sleep in total silence, eliminating distracting noises can help you get to sleep faster and stay asleep longer. Also, a high-quality pillow can make all the difference when it comes time to unwind. I love that Holiday Inn Express hotels offer a pillow menu of both, firm or soft pillows.
3. Brain dump and blank out: A lot of us have trouble sleeping because we can't stop thinking about what we have to do tomorrow. I take the stress out of travel, by using the IHG^® App. With the app you can make reservations on-the-go and easily manage your stay with all of your travel details saved in one place.
4. Work out your worries: I also try to plan a quick workout in the mornings when I travel. Exercising can really help you get to sleep at night. Take a jog on the hotel treadmill, do a few laps in the pool, or lift some weights
5. Turn the clock around: When you go to bed, set your alarm and then keep that clock face out of view. If you're really worried about missing your wake-up, then set the alarm on both your clock and your phone. In addition, I always call the front desk at my hotel to request a wake-up call.

In Canada, there are 94 Holiday Inn Express hotels from coast-to-coast – including newly opened properties in Victoria-Colwood and St. John's – with 16 hotels in the pipeline. The Holiday Inn Express brand is designed to meet the needs of its target guests, called smart travellers, who value simplicity and efficiency and want a hotel to serve as a launch pad for their trip. Holiday Inn Express hotels provide just the right level of service and amenities for guests who don't want to pay extra for things they don't need.

For the latest Stay Smart^® campaign updates, consumers can visit holidayinnexpress.com as well as the Holiday Inn Express brand's YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook pages.

About the Holiday Inn Express^® brand
Holiday Inn Express^® hotels are modern hotels for value-oriented travelers. Fresh, clean and uncomplicated, Holiday Inn Express hotels offer competitive rates for both business and leisure travelers. Guests Stay Smart^® at Holiday Inn Express hotels where they enjoy a free hot Express Start™ breakfast bar with new healthier offerings, free high-speed Internet access and free local phone calls (U.S. and Canada only). There are currently 2,456 Holiday Inn Express hotel locations around the globe. For more information about Holiday Inn Express hotels or to book reservations, visit www.holidayinnexpress.com. Find us on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/hiexpress or Facebook www.Facebook.com/holidayinnexpress.

Notes to Editors:
IHG® (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global organisation with a broad portfolio of hotel brands, including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Kimpton® Hotels & Restaurants, HUALUXE® Hotels and Resorts, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo®, EVEN® Hotels, Holiday Inn® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites® and Candlewood Suites®.  

IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns more than 5,000 hotels and nearly 750,000 guest rooms in almost 100 countries, with more than 1,400 hotels in its development pipeline. IHG also manages IHG® Rewards Club, the world's first and largest hotel loyalty programme, with more than 96 million members worldwide. 

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Group's holding company and is incorporated in Great Britain and registered in England and Wales. More than 350,000 people work across IHG's hotels and corporate offices globally.

Visit www.ihg.com for hotel information and reservations and www.ihgrewardsclub.com for more on IHG Rewards Club. For our latest news, visit: www.ihg.com/media and follow us on social media at: www.twitter.com/ihg, www.facebook.com/ihg and www.youtube.com/ihgplc.

SOURCE IHG

Image with caption: "Holiday Inn Express® brand launches fall sleep campaign with Amber Mac (CNW Group/IHG)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160913_C2805_PHOTO_EN_770610.jpg

Michelle Dias, IHG Canada, [email protected], 416-886-4873; Mary Zarikos, Hill+Knowlton Strategies, [email protected], 416-413-4575