, November 4, 2011 /ChinaNewswire.com - Xinwengao.com/ - Shanghai, China (November 04, 2011) /ChinaNewswire.com/ — The world leading luxury hotel brand InterContinental Hotels and Resorts kicks off its Responsible Business Week on October 24 in Greater China. The one-week initiative is designed to celebrate the InterContinental hotels' achievements and on-going efforts to make a world of difference by sustaining and enhancing their local destinations.

Driven by its "In the Know" brand positioning, InterContinental is committed to bringing authentic travel experience to its guests by sharing local knowledge of all that is special about their hotel destinations. And, through a partnership with the National Geographic’s Center for Sustainable Destinations that began in 2009, InterContinental hotels and resorts around the globe have been required to conduct business responsibly by taking actions to respect and protect the destinations’ unique nature, heritage and communities.

Building upon a one-day event last year among employees, InterContinental extended the Responsible Business celebration to one full week by involving guests and the public from across the globe to call for cooperative efforts in protecting and preserving destinations.

The theme for Responsible Business Week in Greater China this year is "Preserving City Memories", which pays homage to the Chinese cities where the 21 InterContinental hotels and resorts are located.

"InterContinental shares with our guests an abiding belief that the most enriching and rewarding travel are derived from authentic experiences," said Keith Barr, chief executive officer of IHG Greater China. "China has such incredibly rich and diverse heritage, and we at InterContinental Hotels and Resorts are so proud to be a part of that, to bear the responsibility of preservation and to encourage more people to join in our efforts."

From October 24th to 30th, all 21 InterContinental hotels and resorts in Greater China celebrated with a series of activities designed to raise awareness of the need to preserve and cherish local heritage.

Responsible Business Week initiatives that have been carried out by InterContinental Hotels and Resorts in Greater China include

InterContinental One Thousand Lake Resort – The hotel brought guests to watch the "Bamboo Horse Dance", a traditional art form since the Ming Dynasty.

InterContinental Shenzhen – The hotel sent staff to Da Peng Gu Cheng, a protected historic village built in 1394, to encourage travelers to join in the efforts to preserve it. It also hosted lectures for hotel guests regarding the preservation of the local mangrove forest and about the birds that inhabit or migrate there every year.

InterContinental Hong Kong – Employee volunteers took 30 children from an orphanage for a visit to the Hong Kong Wetland Park, a world-class ecotourism facility. A "Bedtime Story" card on the park was produced to add to the hotel's current selection of the "In the Know" programme available for hotel guests.

InterContinental brand's efforts were recognised this year when it received a Leadership in Engineering and Environmental Design (LEED) endorsement for Green Engage, an innovative online environmental tool to help hotels monitor, reduce and manage energy as well as water and waste, and awarded the UK Carbon Trust Standard for showing genuine carbon reduction.

To find out more about InterContinental Hotels and Resorts' Responsible Business initiatives, visit www.InterContinental.com/responsible.

InterContinental Hotels and Resorts has nearly 170 hotels, located in more than 60 countries with local insight that comes from over 60 years of experience. At InterContinental we believe that superior, understated service and outstanding facilities are important, but what makes us truly different, is the genuine interest we show in our guests. Our desire is to help guests make the most of their time. We connect our well-travelled guests to what's special about a destination, by sharing our knowledge so they enjoy authentic experiences that will enrich their lives and broaden their outlook.For more information, visit www.intercontinental.com.

CONTACT INFORMATION

• Sharona Tao
  IHG
  Tel: +86 21 2893 3309
  Fax: +86 21 2893 3399
  [email protected]

  Michelle You
  Hill and Knowlton (China)
  Tel: +86 5109 7070 x 312
  Fax: +86 21 5407 5700
  [email protected]