The awards dinner and ceremony was held at the Hofburg, Vienna’s Imperial Palace, with the evening seeing 138 winners from the 622 IHG properties across the EMEA region’s four hotel brands – InterContinental Hotels and Resorts, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Express by Holiday Inn – honoured in the 16 award categories.

Express by Holiday Inn Stansted, owned by Kew Green Hotels Ltd, won two prestigious awards; the 2006 Hotel of the Year Award for the UK & Ireland and the EMEA Franchise Hotel of the Year Award, with General Manager Tony Wright and Kew Green Managing Director Paul Johnson in attendance to collect the awards.

The Hotel of the Year category recognised seven hotels across each region of the EMEA that have achieved the best results in satisfying all four constituencies; owners, customers, employees and communities. One hotel then goes on to win the top award of Franchise Hotel of the Year EMEA.

Tony Wright, General Manager Express by Holiday Inn Stansted comments “It is a tremendous honour to have had the team’s ongoing hard work rewarded with the prestigious accolade of Hotel of the Year. I am sure that this title will inspire each of us, as IHG ambassadors, to strive to achieve even greater results over the coming year.”

Richard Hartman, IHG’s Managing Director EMEA, commented: “As the world’s most global hotel company, the Awards proved a great occasion for representatives from 24 countries to gather in celebration of the outstanding commitment made by each of our hotels and teams to go that extra mile for our customers.”

“With guest satisfaction and loyalty at the heart of IHG’s core values, we were delighted to be able to recognise and congratulate the individual performances that helped make 2006 such a successful year for IHG in the EMEA region.”

Kew Green Hotels Ltd (KGH) operate 15 hotels with IHG, under the Express by Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn brands, with the latest Holiday Inn opening in Norwich City later this month. Paul Johnson, Managing Director of KGH commented; “We are extremely proud that one of our hotels has won the top Award of Hotel of the Year, it is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of the General Manager and his team at the hotel.”