Intercontinental Hotels : IHG Hotels & Resorts Provides Community Solar Offering for Hotel Owners in Collaboration with Ampion

Customized, industry-leading offering helps IHG hotels transition to renewable energy, decrease cost of their electricity charges by up to 10 percent

ATLANTA (May 31, 2023) - IHG Hotels & Resorts (IHG), one of the world's leading hotel companies, today announced an industry-leading renewable energy offering for IHG hotels in select markets across the United States in collaboration with Ampion, a leading provider of community solar solutions. IHG is the first hotel company to provide hotels a community solar offering that includes Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), helping hotels reduce greenhouse gas emissions by accessing renewable energy through solar panel projects built near a hotel's community.

The electricity generated by solar panel projects is fed into the local power grid, and hotels can subscribe to a portion of the projects and will receive both Green-e® certified RECs and a discount on their regular electricity bill for the clean energy produced. Through this model, enrolled hotels can credibly claim to be powered by renewable energy while supporting the development of new local solar projects that create jobs and improve the air quality in their communities.

This offering is available in states with legislation supporting community solar, contingent on available capacity. IHG's community solar offer is currently active for hotels across Illinois, Maine and Maryland, with more states to follow soon. Hotels that have signed up or engaged in the enrollment process represent nearly 30 percent of IHG's hotels' energy footprint in those three states - the equivalent of replacing the electricity usage of more than 5,700 average U.S. homes with renewable energy.

Catherine Dolton, SVP, Corporate Responsibility & Chief Sustainability Officer, IHG Hotels & Resorts, said: "We are excited to offer IHG-branded hotel owners an innovative solution to help them reduce their carbon emissions at the property level. IHG's community solar offering, in collaboration with Ampion, is a win-win for hotel owners due to its cost savings, zero capital expenditure and environmental benefits. This offering is just one of the many ways we're driving progress toward IHG's sustainability commitments, which includes reducing our energy use and carbon emissions in line with climate science."

Joshua Lustig, General Manager, Crowne Plaza College Park - Washington, D.C., said: "Our decision to go live with IHG's community solar offering at our nearly 300-room hotel is two-fold: we are passionate about being a more sustainable hotel and know we can make a positive impact here in Washington, D.C. We are on a journey toward decreasing our environmental impact and we are proud to support our local community through this offering."

Nate Owen, CEO, Ampion, said: "Ampion is proud to help IHG hotels reduce emissions with clean energy while saving money. We look forward to expanding this offering to more states and helping more hotels enhance their sustainability. The leadership teams of both companies have worked hard to make this innovative community solar offering a reality. Ampion's mission is to make renewable energy accessible everywhere, for everyone. We're thrilled to be partnering with a company that shares our commitment to a clean, sustainable future."

In markets where community solar projects are not available, IHG hotels can act sustainably in other ways, such as purchasing RECs to negate the emissions produced by their energy use or installing solar panels on their roofs, to name a few. For example, the InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta hotel purchased unbundled Green-e® certified solar RECs to cover their estimated emissions from their electricity usage for 2023. Likewise, IHG purchased RECs to offset energy use at its corporate office and Design Center facilities, both located in Atlanta, Ga.

Leveraging renewable energy is just one way IHG is approaching its 46 percent carbon reduction target, which is part of the company's Journey to Tomorrow (JtT) 10-year responsible business plan. Reducing carbon emissions is not only vital to protecting the world around us but is also critical for the long-term resilience of IHG's business.

In line with JtT, IHG has established brand standards, launched tools and trainings, and released guidance that help hotels reduce their energy use - from low and no cost behavioral strategies to the adoption of energy conservation measures that require a larger investment. While energy conservation measures typically pay for themselves over time, IHG also supports hotel owners by increasing their awareness of tax incentives and rebates that help reduce the overall cost of these investments.

To learn more about IHG's commitment to responsible business, please visit www.ihgplc.com/en/responsible-business.