SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The Southern Conference and IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group), the world's largest hotel group by number of rooms, today announced they have entered into a partnership that will make IHG the exclusive hotel partner of the Southern Conference.  The partnership follows on the heels of IHG's recent "Team Travel Program" announcement, a program designed to accommodate groups of all sizes with amenities that suit the needs of traveling teams. 

"We are really looking forward to this new relationship with the Southern Conference," said Del Ross, vice president, U.S. Sales & Marketing, IHG. "This partnership provides a terrific opportunity for IHG to showcase its team travel accommodations during the Southern Conference championship events and for the association's staff to benefit from our award-winning hotel rewards program."

IHG owns a portfolio of well-recognized and respected hotel brands including InterContinental^® Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo^®, Crowne Plaza^® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn^® Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn^® Club Vacations, Holiday Inn Express^®, Staybridge Suites^® and Candlewood Suites^®. IHG's loyalty program, Priority Club^® Rewards is the world's largest with 61 million members worldwide.

"We are very happy to partner with IHG," said John Iamarino, Southern Conference Commissioner. "The company represents a well-respected line of hotel properties that will give our teams, administrators and fans multiple options for their travel needs. We are committed to making this partnership a long-term success."