Unless you’re inheriting family vineyards—or celebrating an IPO windfall—Napa Valley isn’t the most affordable place to start a wine brand. And when Malek Amrani created The Vice in 2016 he had neither of those—just a vision that placed equal focus on both his passion and business approach. The Vice concentrates on single-vineyard and single-varietal wines from 15 of Napa’s 16 AVAs, has a line of orange wines and bottles that begin as low as $29, far below the average price for the region. Amrani has also just been appointed to the Board of Directors of Napa Valley Vintners—quite a journey for someone who came to New York as a teenager from Morocco. I spoke with Amrani about his love of Napa, his sales-first approach to winemaking and why orange wine may be here to stay.
IHG’s new CEO on the next chapter for Six Senses, InterContinental, all-inclusive resorts and beyond
22.09.2023 - 16:07 / thepointsguy.com / Carlton Cannes / Elie Maalouf / Keith Barr / New Ceo
Consider it the year of Italy for IHG Hotels & Resorts.
The hotel powerhouse behind brands like Holiday Inn Express, Kimpton, InterContinental and Six Senses opened two marquee hotels — the Six Senses Rome and the InterContinental Rome Ambasciatori Palace — in the Italian capital over the last few months. But it's more than luxe properties that tie IHG to the Eternal City.
Elie Maalouf, who grew up in Rome, took over as the company's new CEO at the start of July.
So, does that mean IHG's new top brass will start changing everything to his liking? Not quite. Consider the Maalouf era as one of building on existing strengths.
This isn't entirely early days at IHG for the company's new chief executive. It's Maalouf's ninth year with the company, and he previously served as the CEO of IHG's Americas division, where he oversaw everything from development and operations to the launch of new brands.
"I own the strategy that we have, and there's no need for renaming everything or re-labeling everything," Maalouf said with a laugh. "But we're going to build on this."
The building isn't taking place in just one direction.
In recent year, IHG embarked on a brand-building spree that former CEO Keith Barr often likened to filling in the rungs of a ladder. Through a mix of acquisitions, organic growth and partnership, IHG's brand lineup today ranges from all-inclusive resorts via a partnership with Iberostar to ultra-luxe hotels charging thousands of dollars per night.
While InterContinental Hotels & Resorts is IHG's namesake high-end brand, the company brought in Regent and Six Senses to beef up its offerings in the ultra-luxury sector. Along with Six Senses Rome, IHG this year opened the Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel, in the south of France and the Regent Hong Kong.
The Six Senses development pipeline is now double what it was when IHG bought the brand in 2019. Upcoming openings include Six Senses London, Six Senses Kyoto and Six Senses Svart in Norway. Regent is slated to return to the U.S. with a location in Santa Monica, California, in the next few months. This is in addition to international locations in Jakarta, Indonesia; Kyoto, Japan; and Bali, Indonesia. InterContinental doesn't appear to be losing steam either, with more than 200 hotels open and close to 100 in development.
"It's part of where we've been going with the company: not focusing less on our mainstream, everyday brands, but doing both," Maalouf said. "Our luxury and lifestyle portfolio is really hitting a rhythm."
Don't think IHG is losing sight of its cash cow enterprise of affordable brands like Holiday Inn Express. The company also launched a new midscale brand, Garner, last month. Garner is clustered in IHG's Essentials Collection with
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