Hotel Indigo® and Grammy® Nominated Singer/Songwriter Natasha Bedingfield Celebrate Winners of National 'Locals Know Best' Contest

ATLANTA, Sept. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Hotel Indigo® is pleased to announce the winners of the national "Locals Know Best" Contest.  Based on the premise that locals know their neighborhood's best kept secrets, Hotel Indigo conducted a nationwide search with Grammy® nominated singer/songwriter Natasha Bedingfield to hear from real people – the locals – to uncover the best neighborhood spots across America.  

Hotel Indigo in an upscale boutique brand that offers guests a unique hotel experience with the modern design and intimate service associated with boutique hotels along with the peace of mind and consistency from staying with the world's largest hotel group.  Committed to creating and delivering a refreshing and inviting guest experience, each Hotel Indigo property is uniquely designed to reflect the culture, character and history of the surrounding neighborhood.

"Hotel Indigo is all about being local and giving our guests an experience that really reflects the neighborhood.  From Atlanta to New York City to San Diego, no two hotels are the same," said Gina LaBarre, vice president, brand management, IHG.  "At Hotel Indigo we're very proud of our neighborhoods and want to share with our guests those unique and 'off the beaten path' places that aren't necessarily included in the travel books."

Four grand prize winners received a once-in-a-lifetime VIP experience in New York City for two to attend a private performance by Bedingfield.  Additionally, winners are featured in a Hotel Indigo advertisement in People® magazine that hits newsstands on October 1.  The advertisement showcases each winner and shares their winning neighborhood spot.  

Winners were chosen from hundreds of entries submitted either online or through live auditions held at Hotel Indigo properties in Atlanta, Nashville, San Diego, Chicago, Ft. Myers, Fla., Basking Ridge, NY, Asheville, NC, San Antonio, TX, and Miami.  Applicants were asked to share a photo and answer the question "what makes your neighborhood great?"  Locals from across the country submitted neighborhood knowledge on everything from the best restaurants to hidden vintage stores and the best place to watch a sunrise.  Judging was based on quality of photo, expression of local knowledge, creativity/originality and appropriateness to contest theme.

"Traveling has always been a passion of mine, but when I'm touring I rarely get a chance to explore the cities that I visit so partnering with Hotel Indigo on the Locals Know Best contest has been a great way to find out more about America's neighborhoods," said Bedingfield.  "Hearing directly from locals about what's unique and special about their neighborhoods has truly been amazing and I'm so excited to celebrate with the four winners."

About The Winners

• Meredith from Atlanta, GA: The Sound Table.  "My favorite spot in Atlanta's Old 4th Ward is The Sound Table – the food is bananas!  With signature cocktails and divine DJs, it has an eclectic, laid-back, off-the-beaten-path vibe."

• Lindsay from San Diego, CA: Kate Sessions Memorial Park.  "This park has one of the best views in the neighborhood...it overlooks Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach and downtown.  On clear days, you can almost see all the way down to Mexico!"

• Sunny from Nashville, TN: Hooprama.  "My favorite secret spot in East Nashville is Hooprama. For me Hula Hoop fitness is not about 'learning to hoop'...it's about finding that little something special – your own personal Boom Boom...your smile...your spirit!"

• Lori from Sarasota, FL: The Rosemary District – "Sarasota's Rosemary District combines historic grace with urban appeal and is home of many small, locally owned and run businesses, from creative gift boutiques to art studios to chic cafes.  My favorite place is Derek's Culinary Casual."

For more information on Hotel Indigo, please visit www.hotelindigo.com.

About Hotel Indigo

Launched in 2004, Hotel Indigo is IHG's upscale boutique brand.  Each Hotel Indigo property is uniquely designed to reflect the culture, character and history of the surrounding neighborhood.  No two hotels are the same. You don't just check into our hotel; you check into our neighborhood.  Meeting the desires of today's business and leisure traveler, the brand offers guests an intimate and approachable boutique experience along with the peace of mind that comes from staying with a large hotel group.  There are currently 36 Hotel Indigo properties open worldwide and 57 hotels under development, either in the pipeline or in final negotiation.  For more information on Hotel Indigo, or to make reservations, please visit www.hotelindigo.com.

Hotel Indigo participates in IHG's guest loyalty program, Priority Club® Rewards.  With 52 million members worldwide, Priority Club Rewards is the industry's first and largest guest loyalty program. Guests can enroll for free 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 more than 4,500 hotels worldwide.

About Natasha Bedingfield

Natasha Bedingfield has sold more than 10 million singles and albums worldwide and has had five top 10 U.K. singles and 4 top ten U.S. singles. Her 2006 U.S. debut came with the No. 1 single, "These Words". Later that year, "Unwritten" became the most- played song on mainstream American radio.  Her success continued in 2008/2009 with her sophomore album "Pocketful of Sunshine."  It included the platinum hit "Love like This" and the title track went on to sell nearly 3 million singles on iTunes in the U.S.  "Unwritten" received a Grammy Award Nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.  Natasha's third album "Strip Me", is slated to be released this Fall.

Notes to Editors:

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) [LON: IHG, NYSE: IHG (ADRs)] is the world's largest hotel group by number of rooms. IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns, through various subsidiaries, over 4,500 hotels and more than 650,000 guest rooms in 100 countries and territories around the world. The Group owns a portfolio of well recognized and respected hotel brands including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo®, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites® and Candlewood Suites® and also manages the world's largest hotel loyalty program, Priority Club® Rewards with 52 million members worldwide.

IHG has over 1,300 hotels in its development pipeline, which will create 160,000 jobs worldwide over the next few years.

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Group's holding company and is incorporated in Great Britain and registered in England and Wales.

IHG offers information and online reservations for all its hotel brands at www.ihg.com and information for the Priority Club Rewards program at www.priorityclub.com. For the latest news from IHG, visit our online Press Office at www.ihg.com/media

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SOURCE Hotel Indigo