Alibaba Cloud and IHG Ink Partnership to Lead Digital Transformation for Hospitality Industry

Hangzhou, China, 19th September, 2018 - Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group, and InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), one of the world’s leading hotel companies, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding to bolster the cooperation to provide better cloud solutions. As the first part of an ongoing effort, IHG will shift its core IT infrastructure to Alibaba Cloud in Greater China deploying business-critical systems built upon existing range of products and services to further enhance customer experience.

Yeming Wang, General Manager of Alibaba Cloud EMEA, said, “With more than 350 hotels in Greater China, IHG has made a sound decision to invest in a scalable and robust IT infrastructure for reliable services and long-term growth. We are delighted to work with such a renowned international company who excels in providing first-class service to travellers from all over the world. ”

“In the age of digital transformation, holiday makers and business travellers have high expectation on efficient yet personalised services from mobile check-in to picking their preferred room on their mobile APP. These are made possible with a reliable cloud platform that has the capability to process and analyse a high volume of data in real-time. We look forward to creating more memorable experience for IHG’s guests with this strengthened partnership,” added Mr Wang.

Steven Zhong, VP, Hotel and Owner Solutions, IHG Greater China, said: “As a leading hospitality company, IHG has always been the pioneer in digital change to keep its pole position in an increasingly technology driven and interconnected world. In this digital era, we are fully devoted to providing the best guest experience in a sustainable and global manner. We are very delighted to work with Alibaba Cloud under this enhanced partnership, riding on its market leading solutions and capabilities to elevate operational excellence, optimise owners' investment return, and achieve greater success empowered by technology.”

Greater China is IHG’s fastest growing market with more than 350 open hotels by the end of June, 2018. IHG will use Alibaba Cloud’s computing, database, network and security products, as well as Alibaba Cloud Enterprise Services to help improve a range of functions across business operations, security and data analysis. Additional systems and applications for sales and marketing, human resources and finance will also be deployed through Alibaba Cloud.

This latest announcement builds on the relationship between the two international companies as IHG partnered in 2016 with Alipay, the world’s largest mobile and online payment platform under Ant Financial, which is affiliated to Alibaba Group.

Notes to Editors

About Alibaba Cloud

Established in 2009, Alibaba Cloud (www.alibabacloud.com), the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group, is among the world’s top three IaaS providers according to Gartner, and the largest provider of public cloud services in China, according to IDC. Alibaba Cloud provides a comprehensive suite of cloud computing services to businesses worldwide, including merchants doing business on Alibaba Group marketplaces, start-ups, corporations and government organizations. Alibaba Cloud is the official Cloud Services Partner of the International Olympic Committee.

About IHG

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

IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns more than 5,400 hotels and 810,000 guest rooms in almost 100 countries, with nearly 1,800 hotels in its development pipeline. IHG also manages IHG® Rewards Club, our global loyalty programme, which has more than 100 million enrolled members.

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Group’s holding company and is incorporated in Great Britain and registered in England and Wales. More than 375,000 people work across IHG’s hotels and corporate offices globally.

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