-- World's most recognised hotel brand to maintain industry
leadership and engage guests with fresh new look
-- Relaunch programme incorporates insights from the hotel
industry's largest consumer research conducted globally
-- First new-look hotels in Asia Pacific scheduled for China,
Thailand and Australia by the second quarter of 2008
SHANGHAI, China, Oct. 24 / Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) today announced a worldwide relaunch of the Holiday Inn brand family, which comprises the Holiday Inn(R) and Holiday Inn Express(R) brands.
(Logo: http://www.prnasia.com/sa/200702131431-min.jpg )
All Holiday Inn hotels worldwide will be progressively relaunched to further enhance quality and drive consistency across the brand portfolio. The relaunch will incorporate a new service promise, a redesigned welcome experience as well as refreshed guestrooms with signature bedding and bathroom products. The new brand signage will be featured at hotels once they have successfully implemented the relaunch programme, resulting in a refreshed and contemporary brand image for Holiday Inn. All Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express hotels currently open or under development will target to have the relaunch programme in place by the end of 2010, with the first Asia Pacific new-look hotels expected in China, Thailand and Australia by the second quarter of 2008.
Established in 1952 in the US, Holiday Inn is one of the world's most recognised hotel brands with over 400,000 rooms (3,125 hotels) open globally and a development pipeline of more than 110,000 rooms (942 hotels) around the world. The development pipeline continues to grow rapidly, with over 16,000 rooms signed in the third quarter of 2007, a 6% increase over the same period in 2006.
In Asia Pacific, IHG has an operating portfolio of 100 Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express hotels (26,900 rooms) and nearly 60 hotels (17,500 rooms) in the development pipeline. Holiday Inn is the leading mid-scale hotel brand in People's Republic of China (PRC) and Asia Pacific, and has been consistently named best mid-market hotel brand in Asia Pacific and the world by readers of Business Traveller Asia Pacific magazine for seven years running (2001-2007). The brand first entered Asia in Kyoto, Japan in 1973, and was among the first international hotel brands to open in PRC in 1984.
IHG expects the relaunch programme to allow Holiday Inn hotels to generate significantly higher revenue per available room (RevPAR), and deliver an improved return on investment for their owners. Owners and franchisees will invest up to US$1 billion over a three year period in total to carry out the brand relaunch and meet the required service and quality levels.
Andrew Cosslett, chief executive, IHG, “This is an important moment in Holiday Inn's history. The brand is the largest and one of the most successful in the hotel industry and its relaunch will ensure that this position is maintained. We dedicated significant resources to getting the facts and the insights to enable us to make these changes, in partnership with our owners. The Holiday Inn sign is seen by hundreds of millions of people every day around the world. The changes we are making will ensure the Holiday Inn brand goes forward into the future with a strong and confident new image. We want our guests to get as much enjoyment from Holiday Inn hotels over the next 50 years as they have over the last 50.”
The brand relaunch programme incorporates insights from an IHG-commissioned consumer research, which gathered input from 18,000 travellers globally.
Elements of the relaunch programme include:
Redesigned Brand Signage - Holiday Inn is making dramatic changes to its signage, evolving the iconic script logo, energising the signature colour green and eliminating the current shield shape. The brand will replace more than 11,000 signs around the world to reflect this refreshed and contemporary look. The new brand signage will also be incorporated into design elements in each of the more than 3,100 hotel lobbies and more than 400,000 guest rooms worldwide.
Refreshed Guest Room - Guests will be able to enjoy a new bedding experience with fresh, white duvets and pillows that come in two comfort levels: soft and firm. Bathrooms will feature a showerhead that offers superior pressure while conserving water as well as enhanced amenities, to deliver an invigorating and up-to-date bath experience.
Warm Welcome - A new signature arrival, including new lighting, landscaping and design features will create an energised and a sense of welcome that is universally recognisable and unique to the brand. Guests can expect a more interactive and efficient check-in process, while customised music and scent selections will also engage them in a complete sensory experience.
New Service Promise - Since a differentiated lodging experience cannot be delivered through imagery and product alone, Holiday Inn is committed to providing the best-in-class service. As part of the relaunch, the brand will initiate a new service culture - “Stay Real”. The service culture will enhance staff behaviour and skills to best serve guests, treating them as real people and consistently delivering the real, genuine service for which Holiday Inn is known.
Notes to Editors:
About IHG
InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (IHG) of the United Kingdom [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is the world's largest hotel group by number of rooms. IHG owns, manages, leases or franchises, through various subsidiaries, over 3,800 hotels and more than 564,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories around the world. IHG owns a portfolio of well recognised and respected hotel brands including InterContinental(R) Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza(R) Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn(R) Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express(R), Staybridge Suites(R), Candlewood Suites(R) and Hotel Indigo(R), and also manages the world's largest hotel loyalty programme, Priority Club(R) Rewards with over 33 million members worldwide.
The company pioneered the travel industry's first collaborative response to environmental issues as founder of the International Hotels and Environment Initiative (IHEI). The IHEI formed the foundations of the Tourism Partnership launched by the International Business Leaders Forum in 2004, of which IHG is still a member today. The environment and local communities remain at the heart of IHG's global corporate responsibility focus.
IHG offers information and online reservations for all its hotel brands at http://www.ihg.com and information for the Priority Club Rewards programme at http://www.priorityclub.com .
For the latest news from IHG, visit our online Press Office at http://www.ihg.com/media .
