Holiday Inn owner tries to go upscale with more high-end brands
Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express continue to be the 800-pound gorilla in terms of brand recognition at IHG Hotels & Resorts.
But don’t discount the company’s other brands. They illustrate where IHG sees growth and offer new ways for travelers to experience the company and its loyalty program.
IHG’s budget-friendly Voco brand of boutique-style hotels just hit an important milestone by signing its 100th hotel deal. Now, 46 Voco hotels are open worldwide, and an additional 55 are in the works. This makes it the fastest-growing brand in IHG’s “Premium Collection,” which also includes Crowne Plaza and Even.
The Holiday Inn brand family still accounted for a third of IHG’s new hotel deals last year and half the new hotels that opened their doors. But the company is increasingly expanding with higher-end brands like Voco, InterContinental, Regent and Six Senses.
Today, luxury and lifestyle hotels — including brands such as Kimpton, Hotel Indigo and the Vignette Collection — only make up 13% of IHG’s overall size, the company reported last month. Luxury and lifestyle hotels now account for 20% of future development at IHG.
The growth comes as IHG acquired and launched several new brands in recent years, including Voco, the Vignette Collection, Six Senses and Regent. There’s also the company’s new partnership with Iberostar Beachfront Resorts, an all-inclusive resort offering that is now IHG’s 18th brand.
IHG CEO Keith Barr, over several interviews in recent years, likened the additions to filling in rungs of a ladder — it gives a more comprehensive offering to travelers and IHG One Rewards members.
“We do see our guests continuing to move across the rungs of the ladder with choices,” Ginger Taggart, vice president of brand management at Voco, told TPG this week. “It does give us an opportunity for different guests in different stay occasions.”
IHG’s next steps
Part of Voco’s success stems from the fact that it taps into the broader lifestyle trend gripping the hotel industry. While standardization was initially the name of the game with hotels (as in, your Crowne Plaza experience in Shanghai would be similar to what you’d get in St. Louis), the lifestyle push of today is more about localization.
While Voco isn’t officially part of IHG’s Luxury and Lifestyle Collection, it still has many elements you’d find in a lifestyle hotel. Guests get a locally inspired welcome treat at check-in (a Times Square location features sweets from a New York City-based chocolatier). Each hotel's food and beverage offerings reflect the surrounding area.
The team at Voco Kirkton Park Hunter Valley in Australia uses vegetables grown on the estate for meals served at the hotel’s restaurants. Voco The Hague has a program where a tree is planted each night a guest chooses not to have their room cleaned.
“There are lifestyle elements that are coming through many different categories of hotels today, including different premium hotels at IHG,” Taggart said. “They're all brought together by bringing that kind of local flavor and that relaxed, connected approach to service, which is what guests are looking for and where Voco comes to life.”
Where should you look if you want to experience Voco? IHG leaders clearly see this as a global brand, with openings this year slated for Surrey, England; Osaka, Japan; Da Nang, Vietnam; Queens in New York City; and Paris.
“We are definitely on a growth trajectory across all our brands and across the estate,” Taggart said. “We've gone from 11 brands to 18 brands in a five-year period, but all of them are very carefully focused to meet a specific guest and owner need, which enables them to not only scale quickly but scale globally.”
Related reading:
- The award travelers guide to IHG Rewards
- The best credit cards to reach elite status
- What is IHG One Rewards elite status worth?
- Current offers on IHG Rewards credit cards
- Which credit cards offer the most lucrative rewards for hotel stays?
- The best hotel rewards programs in the world
- Best hotel credit cards
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- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
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- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.
Rewards Rate
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
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You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.Annual Fee
$325Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.Excellent to Good
Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.