Ihg tips

Earnings seasons for the hotel sector is nearly over, and one striking aspect of executive comments on calls with investors was the resilience of development pipelines for hotels belonging to brands run by global groups. For new construction, conversions, and franchise signings, hotel companies painted an optimistic picture.

“I’m really excited about the quality of the brand portfolio,” IHG CEO Keith Barr said at Skift Global Forum. Barr goes on to describe the current realities of the hotel business: it’s a real estate business at the end of the day, after all. But IHG has been hyper-focused on its brands and its franchise partners. “It’s been great because there’re such clearly defined brands that enable us to work with a number of opportunities,” he told Skift’s Sean O’Neill.

Hotel loyalty programs were one of the surprise gainers of the pandemic era lull in travel and the post-pandemic boom.

Several big-name hotel companies have entered 2023 with tech partnerships to modernize operations and services. 

Good morning from Skift. It’s Tuesday, November 22. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants is a boutique hotel brand created by Bill Kimpton in 1981 in San Francisco. InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) bought it for $430 million in 2014 and has been scaling it up as a mid-priced lifestyle brand.

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) said on Monday that it had added Iberostar Hotels & Resorts as a new brand through a 30-year licensing deal that lets IHG market the all-inclusive hotels and resorts. “Up to 70 hotels,” equal to about 24,300 rooms, will become bookable through IHG’s website and app under the Iberostar Beachfront Resorts brand — the 18th IHG brand.

For InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), soaring hotel rates owing to a post-pandemic surge in pent-up demand for travel have been a boon after the pandemic bludgeoned the travel sector. But IHG Hotels & Resorts said its pricing power would last beyond the present moment thanks partly to its investments in digital technology. The company also anticipated future growth as China, the world’s second-largest economy, reopens.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Wednesday, February 22. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

InterContinental Hotels Group CEO Keith Barr announced he would be leaving his role at the UK-based company at his company’s first-quarter earnings call on May 5.

Six Senses, the operator of luxury hotels, resorts, and spas, plans to add a product — clubs — under a new brand, Six Senses Place. Once several are open, the operator would like to create a membership service giving travelers access to the clubs worldwide.

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG Hotels & Resorts) CEO Keith Barr told the Financial Times this week that “several shareholders” had asked his team at an investor roadshow last month if it would consider a switch away from listing on the London stock market to New York’s exchanges.

Hyatt is acquiring UK boutique hotel booking site Mr and Mrs Smith for £53 million — or about about $66 million in today’s exchange rates at the time of the announcement.

In the next few weeks, the largest hotel companies will report their financial performance for the first quarter and provide a glimpse of future trends. Here’s a survey of expectations based on recent reports from investment bank analysts.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Monday, May 8. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Keith Barr said Friday he would step down as CEO of IHG Hotels & Resorts. Elie Maalouf, who’s headed the American operations, will become the new chief of the UK-based group on July 1.

InterContinental Hotels Group accompanied its first-quarter earnings with the news that group CEO Keith Barr will be replaced by IHG‘s Americas CEO Elie Maalouf on June 30. Barr has led IHG for six years, and Maalouf has been in his role since 2015.

The complexity of point loyalty programs has pushed several travel companies to rethink their strategy, and the most recent to flip the script is Marriott Bonvoy. 

India is a big potential market for aviation, but not a cheap one due to the high taxes, said International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) Director General Willie Walsh.

Thousands of hotel workers in Los Angeles, California, went on strike on Sunday morning as they pushed for better wages and benefits, kicking off what was expected to be one of the largest U.S. hotel strikes in recent history.

Budget hotel operator and aggregator Oyo has forayed into the premium resorts and hotels category with the launch of its new brand, Palette. Oyo plans to have a total of 50 properties by the second quarter of 2024.