Tag: IHG

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Six Senses to open a hotel in London in 2023

The first Six Senses Hotel will open in the UK at Whiteleys, Bayswater, West London. The building is a former art deco department store, which then became a shopping centre in the 1980s and closed in December 2018.

The hotel will have 110 bedrooms and suites, as well as 14 residences. It will have a lobby bar and lounge, all-day dining restaurant with an open kitchen and seating area in the courtyard. The original Grade II façade, central courtyard, dome and internal staircase (modelled on the La Scala opera house in Milan) will all remain. Contemporary art from British artists will be used throughout.

The hotel will have a Six Senses Spa in the style of an old-fashioned London underground station, with fitness area and indoor swimming pool. On the second floor, residents and members will access a social and wellness club and coworking spaces.

Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas was acquired by IHG earlier this year and currently has 18 hotels and resorts and 30 spas in 21 countries.

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Bathroom miniatures on the way at IHG hotels

IHG® (InterContinental Hotels Group) has announced that its entire hotel estate of almost 843,000 guest rooms will switch to bulk-size bathroom amenities, with the transition to be completed during 2021. This would make it the first global hotel brand to undertake such a move.

Building on its efforts to reduce plastic waste as part of a broader sustainability agenda, this pledge makes IHG the first global hotel company to commit all brands to removing bathroom miniatures in favour of bulk-size amenities.

Keith Barr, CEO, IHG, commented: “It’s more important than ever that companies challenge themselves to operate responsibly – we know it’s what our guests, owners, colleagues, investors and suppliers rightly expect. Switching to larger-size amenities across more than 5,600 hotels around the world is a big step in the right direction and will allow us to significantly reduce our waste footprint and environmental impact as we make the change.

“We’ve already made great strides in this area, with almost a third of our estate already adopting the change and we’re proud to lead our industry by making this a brand standard for every single IHG hotel. We’re passionate about sustainability and we’ll continue to explore ways to make a positive difference to the environment and our local communities.”

IHG currently has an average of 200 million bathroom miniatures in use across its entire hotel estate every year. As the new brand standard is adopted between now and 2021, the company expects to see a significant reduction in plastic waste. This commitment builds on IHG’s pledge to remove plastic straws from its hotels by the end of 2019, and a number of broader waste reduction initiatives already in place. IHG remains a constituent of the FTSE4Good Index, and recently joined the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Circular Economy 100 network, signalling its commitment to working with cross-industry partners to build a more sustainable world.

Switching to bulk-size amenities is a tried and tested approach at IHG and the move has already happened in about a third of its estate. Whether for business or leisure, hotel guests increasingly want their stays to be more sustainable without any impact on the quality of their experience. Several IHG brands are already achieving this today.

To support the reduction of plastic at events why not check out our blog for ideas.

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Principal Edinburgh George Street rejoins InterContinental

The Principal Edinburgh George Street hotel has rejoined the InterContinental brand after 14 years.

The 240-bedroom hotel operated as an InterContinental property until 2005, when it was sold to what was then Principal Hayley Group and became the George hotel. It was then renamed the Principal Edinburgh George Street following the launch of the Principal brand in 2016.

After the sale of the Principal group to French-group Covivio and InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) last year and “significant renovations”, it is being rebranded once more as the InterContinental Edinburgh – The George.

The property is an integration of a number of Georgian townhouses that were originally built in the 1780s.

Karan Khanna, managing director, UK & Ireland, IHG, said: “We are excited to grow our luxury presence in Scotland as we continue the integration of the Principal portfolio. Edinburgh is a key city in our home market so it’s great to reintroduce our flagship brand, InterContinental, to the city. I am confident its arrival will receive a warm welcome and the team will deliver a great service to guests.”

Tom Rowntree, vice president, global luxury brands, IHG, said: “InterContinental Edinburgh – The George is a fabulous addition to the brand, marking the return of InterContinental to Edinburgh.  We look forward to helping our guests unlock the heritage of this hotel and the enchanting city of Edinburgh.”

InterContinental Edinburgh – The George is the third InterContinental in the UK, joining InterContinental London – Park Lane and InterContinental London – The O2. IHG has 349 hotels operating under eight brands in the UK, with a further 26 in the pipeline.

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IHG® unveils new brand prototypes

IHG® (InterContinental Hotels Group), one of the world’s leading global hotel companies, has unveiled its latest brand updates and innovations to its mainstream hotel owners. During its 2019 Americas Investors and Leadership Conference in Las Vegas, IHG shared the next phase of design prototypes for Holiday Inn®, Staybridge Suites® and Candlewood Suites®.

Heather Balsley, Senior Vice President, Global Marketing Mainstream Brands, IHG, commented: “We are continually evolving and investing in our brands, and at the center of our latest enhancements sits extensive customer research and close collaboration with our owners. This is crucial to delivering brand experiences that fit the ever-evolving needs of mainstream travelers and drive performance for our hotel owners. As these new prototypes start rolling out across the market, we know they will take guest satisfaction and brand strength to the next level.”

As an industry icon, Holiday Inn continues to innovate the guest experience through H4 Design. Launched in 2017, this flexible solution empowers guests to adapt the space to meet their individual needs and is a brand standard for all new hotel openings, conversions and hotels undergoing renovations.

The brand introduced the H4 prototype, an evolution of H4 Design, which provides owners with a more modern and efficient building that flexes to meet the needs of individual markets, including:

  • Flexible, open public spaces that allow guests to be productive while maintaining their connection to the wider social environment.
  • Multiple restaurant and bar concepts which can be tailored to the available space, allowing for flexibility while offering guests high quality dining in an inviting environment.
  • Adaptable meeting space which can be quickly and easily adjusted to the needs of both business and leisure groups.
  • Welcoming guest room design including thoughtful touches to ensure a great night’s sleep, abundant power and connectivity points, and the signature “Welcome Nook” that provides multi-functional storage so guests can unpack in a way that works for them.

Both of IHG’s extended stay brands, Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites, also unveiled prototypes and interior design solutions for new build hotels and properties going through renovations. These have been designed to help create an inviting space for guests while maintaining a cost per key for hotel owners that is in line with the previous prototype.

The new design solution for Staybridge Suites, Generation 7.0, will roll out in October 2019 and includes:

  • A new exterior design with a front porch to create a more vibrant sense of arrival.
  • A reimagined public space designed to create a wide-open sense of arrival with shared workspaces, areas to socialize, more seating, a breakfast space that seamlessly transitions to a comfortable lounge area, and stronger connection to the outdoor space.
  • Updated suites with distinct zones for working, relaxing and sleeping, ample storage options, contemporary kitchens and furniture that is easy to move so that guests can easily make the space their own.

Candlewood Suites revealed a new brand logo alongside its new design program, Beacon 4.0. Starting this summer, the logo will appear on all new hotel openings, refurbished hotels and across marketing platforms. This is ahead of the full Beacon 4.0 roll out, which will commence in December 2019.

While updating the public spaces and hotel exterior, the brand is introducing significant changes to the guest suites to better meet the changing needs of extended stay travelers, including:

  • A distinctive building exterior that delivers storefront windows that let in more natural light and an updated Gazebo Grill with bar-like seating.
  • An open and modern lobby with spacious communal areas offering a variety of seating; and a refreshed Candlewood Cupboard – the 24-hour market – which is now integrated into the lobby itself.
  • Enhanced comfort in the guest suites featuring the brand’s signature recliner, larger TVs, twice as much storage, contemporary kitchens and easy-to-move end tables with integrated cupholders.
  • A signature “welcome perch” in the one-bedroom suites where guests can immediately begin the process of settling in by dropping their bags or taking off their shoes.
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Marriott, Hilton, IHG and Accor dominating global hotel pipeline

The global pipeline for new hotels is being dominated by four groups, according to a new report by Lodging Econometrics (LE).

At the end of 2018 Marriott, Hilton, IHG and Accor accounted for over half (55 per cent) of all projects, according to the Global Construction Pipeline Trend Report, which compiles the construction pipeline counts for every country and market around the world.

Marriott International had the most pipeline projects with 2,544, followed by Hilton with 2,252, Intercontinental Hotels Group with 1,716, and Accor with 966. In terms of individual brands, IHG’s Holiday Inn Express had the most pipeline projects with 731.

Analysis shows that the total global construction pipeline hit 13,753 projects at the end of last year, up 7 per cent year-on-year.

Over 5,500 of these projects are in the US, with over 2,700 in China. The two countries between them accounted for over 60 per cent of all global projects, while the UK had a total of 266 pipeline projects (38,590 rooms).

The individual city with the most projects was New York with 171, followed by Dubai with 168, Dallas with 163, LA with 147 and Guangzhou with 132.

LE forecasts that a total of 2,844 hotels will open in 2019 (compared to 2,675 in 2018), with this figure growing to 3,088 in 2020.

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IHG to launch new all-suites upper midscale brand

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has announced plans to launch a new all-suites upper midscale brand in its preliminary 2018 financial results.

The company said launching the new brand this year would build on its “existing mainstream strength”, targeting an $18b (£14b) industry segment where strong guest and owner demand has driven around a 70% increase in room supply in the last four years.

The group reported total revenue for the year of $4.34b (£3.36m), an increase of 6% on the previous year, and operating profit of $670m (£519m), down 7%.

Global revenue per available room (revpar) increased 2.5% and IHG also announced it was raising the total dividend for the year by 10% and follows the payment of a $500m (£387m) special dividend in January 2019, taking total shareholder returns announced for the year to more than $700m (£542m).

The hotel company reported its strongest net system size growth in a decade of 4.8% including the addition of 56,000 room additions, up 17% year on year. After the removal of 18,000 rooms, this leaves IHG with 837,000 rooms globally.

Chief executive Keith Barr said: “We have made excellent progress in 2018 executing against the strategic initiatives I set out a year ago to accelerate our growth, whilst delivering a strong financial performance. The investments we have made have had a significant impact, allowing us to further evolve our established brands, move quickly to strengthen our portfolio both organically and by acquisition, and create real momentum in our business.

“Our strategic focus on accelerating our net rooms growth helped drive a net system size increase of 4.8%, and our best performance for both openings and signings in a decade, leaving us well-positioned for future growth.

“The investments we have made have been funded through our group efficiency programme which is on track to deliver $125m (£97m) of annual savings by 2020. We have successfully implemented a more efficient and agile organisational structure while building resources and capabilities focused on the most attractive growth opportunities.

“The fundamentals of our business remain strong, and while there are macro-economic and geopolitical uncertainties in some markets, we are confident in the year ahead and that our strategy will deliver industry-leading net rooms growth over the medium term.”

The group’s revpar in the UK grew just 1%, with London up 3% and the provinces flat. Fourth quarter revpar in the UK was up 4%, with strong leisure demand driving revpar in London up 10%, while the provinces were up just 1%.

2018 saw IHG acquire Principal with Covivio, enabling it to convert properties into the group’s first UK Voco and Kimpton hotels; as well as its acquisition of the luxury Regent Hotels & Resorts brand. IHG announced its acquisition of Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas just last week for £232m.

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IHG acquires Six Senses for £232m

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has acquired Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas for $300m (£232m) from Pegasus Capital Advisors.

The cash acquisition includes all of Six Senses’ brands and operating companies but not real estate assets.

Six Senses manages 16 hotels and resorts, with 18 management contracts signed into its pipeline, and more than 50 further deals under active discussion, adding to IHG’s luxury portfolio.

Six Senses will sit at the top of IHG’s luxury portfolio, complementing its InterContinental Hotels & Resorts brand; the recently acquired and repositioned Regent Hotels & Resorts and Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants. The acquisition takes IHG’s portfolio of open and pipeline luxury properties to 400 hotels (108,000 rooms) globally.

IHG has revealed plans to grow the Six Senses estate to more than 60 properties globally over the next 10 years, including bringing Six Senses to urban markets, with a property already under construction in Manhattan, New York City.

Keith Barr, chief executive of IHG, said: “Six Senses is an outstanding brand in the top-tier of luxury and one we’ve admired for some time. You only have to look at its iconic hotels and resorts to see how this acquisition will further round out our luxury offer.

“This acquisition continues the progress we’ve made against the strategic initiatives we outlined a year ago, which included a commitment to adding new brands in the fast-growing $60b (£46b) luxury segment.”

Neil Jacobs, chief executive of Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas, said: “An outstanding business has been built over the past 20 years, and a respected portfolio of hotels and resorts, with wellness and sustainability at their heart. This distinct proposition and the popularity of our award-winning estate, combined with IHG’s scale, systems and expertise gives us the opportunity to accelerate Six Senses’ global growth.”

David Cogut, principal, Pegasus Capital Advisors, added: “Six Senses fit well with our core themes of investing in sustainability and wellness with a focus on ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) integration, and we’re proud of the work we have done to build it into one of the world’s best luxury hotel brands. Since acquiring the brand in 2012, we have taken the Six Senses experience to some of the world’s most select locations. IHG shares many of our values and will protect what’s special about the brand as it drives Six Senses’ next phase of growth.”