Area General Manager of InterContinental Hotels Group properties Dubai Festival City, Mr. TOM MEYER, has been awarded with the much coveted ‘General Manager of the Year’ award for the Middle East and Africa region of InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG). Even though the InterContinental Dubai Festival City has only been open since November 2007, Tom’s leadership and dedication to the project helped him to secure the title, a recognition his colleagues feel is well deserved.

The awards were presented by IHG to those hotels and individuals in each region who have made outstanding contributions to the success of the company in 2007. Criteria for the “General Manager of the Year” award focused on the RevPar of the manager’s hotel/s, its HR initiatives, staff turnover, community involvement and key impacts which were personally demonstrated by the individual.

The launch of the three properties at Dubai Festival City, InterContinental, Crowne Plaza and InterContinental Residence Suites, has been the largest project in the history of the company, with more than 1,000 hotel rooms and more than 1,200 staff recruited. The hotels have supported many local charities, and accomplished internal awards for their achievements, including the hiring of over 50 nationalities as part of Tom’s vision to have a truly diverse workforce. Tom’s personal approach with all colleagues has made him extremely popular with his team, and gone a long way to securing him his new and honoured title.

Tom accepted his award on behalf of the efforts of all colleagues at IHG DFC, “It is an honour to be personally recognised for my contributions to this awe-inspiring project, which I am thankful to be a part of. It is my pleasure to lead such a team of extremely talented individuals, and together I have no doubt we will only go on to achieve further successes and new heights of excellence. This just goes to show what a team of extremely dedicated individuals can achieve!”

About InterContinental Hotels Group
InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (IHG) of the United Kingdom [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is the world's largest hotel group by number of rooms. IHG owns, manages, leases or franchises, through various subsidiaries, over 3,700 hotels and more than 558,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories around the world. IHG owns a portfolio of well recognised and respected hotel brands including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites®, Candlewood Suites® and Hotel Indigo®, and also manages the world's largest hotel loyalty programme, Priority Club® Rewards, with over 33 million members worldwide.

The company pioneered the travel industry’s first collaborative response to environmental issues as founder of the International Hotels and Environment Initiative (IHEI). The IHEI formed the foundations of the Tourism Partnership launched by the International Business Leaders Forum in 2004, of which IHG is still a member today. The environment and local communities remain at the heart of IHG’s global corporate responsibility focus.