LONDON - InterContinental Hotels Group said on Tuesday that it suffered a net loss of $29 million during the first half of 2009 and said the rest of the year would be "tough".

InterContinental, the world's biggest hotel operator by number of rooms, said its net loss compared with profit after tax of $163 million in the first six months of 2008.

"Trading was very challenging throughout the first half of the year and we expect the remainder of 2009 to be tough," IHG chief executive Andrew Cosslett said in comments accompanying the results.

Source: AFP