InterContinental Hotels Group increased global first-quarter rates by an average of 1.9 percent year over year

. Rates in the Americas and Europe, the Middle East and Africa were up 1.6 percent, while Asia/Pacific rates increased by 4.8 percent. Occupancy during the quarter increased by 2.8 percentage points globally, including an increase of 3.3 percentage points in the Americas and an increase of 2.9 percentage points in Asia/Pacific. Occupancy in EMEA was up 0.8 percentage points. Revenue per available room was up 6.9 percent globally during the quarter. It was up 18.8 percent in China and 8.4 percent in the United States, the largest quarterly increase in that metric since the second quarter of 2006, according to IHG chief executive Andrew Cosslett. Group operating profit for the quarter was $112 million, compared with $83 million in the first quarter of 2010.