HOTEL INDIGO® AND WORLD PHOTOGRAPHY ORGANISATION

TO HOST FREE SMARTPHONE PHOTOGRAPHY MASTERCLASSES

ACROSS THE UK 

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG)'s boutique brand, Hotel Indigo® today announces the launch of a series of smartphone photography masterclasses in partnership with the renowned World Photography Organisation (WPO). To inspire and educate guests, local residents and photography enthusiasts, expert-led intimate masterclasses will be hosted at select Hotel Indigo properties across Europe this summer, including UK, Paris, Helsinki and Dusseldorf.

Masterclasses in the UK, held at Hotel Indigo® London Kensington - Earl's Court, Hotel Indigo® Glasgow and the soon-to-open Hotel Indigo® York* will be hosted by expert photographer, Dan Rubin who has over 730,000 followers on Instagram (@danrubin) and is the Editor-at-Large for The Photographic Journal. Masterclasses will end with a photo-walk where attendees will explore the hotel and surrounding neighbourhood, giving an opportunity to try out new skills and photo applications with Dan.

Hotel Indigo and WPO are running a Europe-wide 'My Neighbourhood' competition, offering photography fans the chance to have their photographs featured in the prestigious SONY World Photography Awards Exhibition at London's esteemed Somerset House. To enter, entrants must simply capture and upload an image that brings to life the essence of their local neighbourhood using #Neighbourhood and tagging @hotelindigo from 1st July – 20th September.

Speaking of the competition, Dan Rubin says: “Having photos exhibited at the SONY World Photography Exhibition in London is a huge honour and something that many professional photographers dream about. I'm excited to see the entries and to see how people are using these tips and tricks to enhance and share their photos on social media. I'm hoping I'll get to visit and explore some of these neighbourhoods myself and I'll be sharing my pictures with everyone on Instagram.”

The partnership between Hotel Indigo and WPO is built upon a shared passion for art, design and exploration. WPO supports professional, amateur and student photographers by lending a global platform to the photographic industry. Scott Gray, CEO, the World Photography Organisation, says: “Our partnership with Hotel Indigo is now in its third year and this year's programme is the most exciting to date as it connects both WPO and Indigo brand values which are based around supporting and celebrating photography as a medium and providing opportunities and inspiration to photography enthusiasts.  We are immensely proud of our partnership with Hotel Indigo and are delighted that they continue to engage with photographers and connect communities and the creative industries through their hotel identity.”

Every Hotel Indigo property is designed to reflect its own unique neighbourhood story. From the building design to the hotel's artwork and locally inspired menus – each Hotel Indigo property is unique to its surroundings. Tom Rowntree, IHG's Vice President for the Hotel Indigo brand, Europe said: “Our guests love to explore the local neighbourhood and most use their smartphone to capture photos of their favourite places. Through our partnership with the World Photography Organisation, we want to give guests and budding photographers the tools and techniques to help them take even better pictures to share on social media and with friends. We're working with some really talented photographers to run free masterclasses and we look forward to the first one taking place in Paris on 10th July.”

Free tickets for London on 14th July, York on 3rd September and Glasgow on 8th Septemberare available now.

Follow @hotelindigo and @worldphotoorg on Instagram.

*Look out for the opening of Hotel Indigo York this summer

ENDS

Media enquiries:

For more information please contact:

Emma Corbett on 0207 973 5934 or Emma.Corbett@hkstrategies.com

Notes to Editors:

About Hotel Indigo:

The Hotel Indigo brand was launched in the United States in 2004, making it one of IHG's youngest brands and today, there are over 100 hotels in the global system size and pipeline combined. IHG has over 4,900 hotels globally across a broad family of nine brands to meet the needs of guests, whatever the occasion. Hotel Indigo offers guests the individuality of a boutique hotel but with the benefits and reassurance of a big hotel company.

There are currently 18 Hotel Indigo properties in Europe and 11 in the pipeline.

*Figures as of 31st March 2015

About IHG:

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

IHG manages IHG® Rewards Club, the world's first and largest hotel loyalty programme with nearly 86 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 more than 4,900 hotels and 720,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries, with more than 1,200 hotels in its development pipeline. Over 350,000 people work across IHG's hotels and corporate offices worldwide.

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

Visit www.ihg.com for hotel information and reservations and www.ihgrewardsclub.com for more on IHG Rewards Club. For our latest news, visit: www.ihg.

About the World Photography Organisation:

The World Photography Organisation (WPO) supports professional, amateur and student photography, lending a global platform for the photographic industry to communicate, converge and showcase current trends in Photojournalism, Fine Art and Commercial photography. Delivering various initiatives and programmes across this global community, these programmes involve the photographer in commercial, cultural and educational activities within the many industry sectors, whilst also creating cultural activities for the public to participate in. Currently included within the WPO portfolio are: the Sony World Photography Awards; the World Photography Student Focus Competition and Youth on Assignment. In addition the WPO have recently launched Photo Shanghai, Asia-Pacific's premiere international Art Fair focused on photography

For further information visit www.worldphoto.org

About The 2015 Sony World Photography Awards:

The 2015 Sony World Photography Awards, the world's largest photography competition, presents its winning and shortlisted images at Somerset House, London from 24 April – 10 May.Taken from a record-breaking 183,737 entries from 171 countries, the extraordinary images showcase the world's best and most original contemporary photography of the past year.  Across a range of categories you can enjoy the winners of the Professional, Open, Youth, Student Focus and Mobile Phone competitions, plus the winning series from the awards' L'Iris d'Or/ Photographer of the Year.