InterContinental Hotels (IHG.L), the world's biggest hotelier, showed its confidence in economic recovery by lifting its final dividend for the first time in three years, as it met forecasts with higher 2010 earnings. The British group, home to the InterContinental, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn brands, said on Tuesday operating profit rose 22 percent to $444 million last year, helped by demand from Asia, business travellers and a revamp of its Holiday Inn chain. That compared with analysts' average forecast of $442 million, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S Estimates.
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