Business travel on the rise for IHG

Intercontinental Hotels Group's (IHG) finance director Richard Solomons said there has been a steady improvement in the number of business travellers staying at the group's hotels.

In an interview with London's City AM, Solomons said: "There has been steady improvement from month to month. I do not want to say it too loudly because we cannot take anything for granted.

"Companies are still working on budgets set in the bad times, but the business is coming back."

IHG's finance chief added that demand in Asia had been particularly strong: "That place is just amazing. Where there is tarmac hotels will follow and the number of roads and other infrastructure being built in China is just phenomenal."

Solomons also said the recession had been an opportunity for the business to focus on its strengths.

"Our Holiday Inn brand needed freshening up and we did it with a massive revamp - one of the biggest ever in the hotel sector. The downturn has helped us to focus on what we are good at," he said.