24 September, 2014 IHG Dishes Up All-Star Culinary Panel

InterContinental Hotels Group ( IHG)announces the launch of its Culinary Panel: a new initiative featuring five celebrated chefs who have been appointed IHG Culinary Ambassadors to develop a repertoire of unique signature dishes for guests dining in IHG's hotels across the Asia, Middle East and Africa (AMEA) region.

The five IHG Culinary Ambassadors, who are all award-winning chefs, represent a diverse range of cuisines:

- Italian by Theo Randall
- Thai by Ian Kittichai
- Chinese by Sam Leong
-  Modern Australian by Ross Lusted
- Bakery and Pastry by Dean Brettschneider

Each Culinary Ambassador has created 20 recipes ranging from appetisers to main courses and desserts. Launching today and rolling out throughout the rest of the year, guests can enjoy a selection of these dishes in select restaurants at InterContinental, Crowne Plazaand Holiday Innhotels and resorts in the region.

Each restaurant team has undergone full training by the Culinary Ambassadors on how to prepare the dishes to ensure a great culinary experience for guests; and they will receive ongoing guidance from the Culinary Panel as the programme continues to expand.

Phil Broad, Vice President, Food and Beverage, Asia, Middle East and Africa, IHG said: "Our whole team is excited to be working with a Culinary Panel of this stature. These chefs are some of the best gastronomic minds in the culinary world and our Ambassadors will help us raise the bar and bolster our hotels' reputation as world-class dining destinations. Our hotel guests and restaurant diners will now be able to enjoy some really delectable dishes designed by these renowned chefs."

Speaking on his appointment as an IHG Culinary Ambassador, Chef Theo Randall commented: "One of the most exciting things about being on the Culinary Panel is being able to reflect my own personality and world-view on food in each recipe. I get to share my creations with other chefs and this is a great opportunity for me to extend the reach of my cuisine with IHG guests across Asia, Middle East and Africa. I have worked with IHG for some time now and I'm confident that with the guidelines and training in place, the restaurants using my recipes will do each dish justice."

Thai award-winning chef Ian Kittichai said, "As a chef, one of my goals is to share Thai cuisine with the world and bring a taste of the diverse flavours of the cuisine to people outside of Thailand. Being invited to join the Culinary Panel gives me a wonderful opportunity to do this and I look forward to working with IHG to deliver great dining experiences for guests staying and eating at IHG hotels."

The company currently operates more than 800 restaurants and bars in AMEA with more than 240 hotels open across five brands in the region: InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Expressand Staybridge Suites. A further 137 hotels and resorts will open in the next three to five years, adding more than 200 new restaurants and bars to IHG's range of F&B. This includes the first Hotel Indigoproperty which will launch in Thailand, Bangkok at the start of next year.  

Notes to Editors:

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

IHG manages IHG® Rewards Club, the world's first and largest hotel loyalty programme with over 80 million members worldwide. The programme was relaunched in July 2013, offering enhanced benefits for members including free internet across all hotels, globally.

IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns over 4,700 hotels and 693,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries, with almost 1,200 hotels in its development pipeline.

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

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