Intercontinental Hotel Group is a leading international hotel operator in Asia Pacific. The group has a portfolio of seven brands globally with more than 4,400 hotels and more than 1,200 in the pipeline. RLI speaks to Jan Smits, Chief Executive Officer of Asia, Middle East and Africa, about the company.
InterContinental Hotel Group (IHG) is a leading international hotel operator in Asia Pacific. Operating under a number of brands including InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn Express, Hotel Indigo, Stalybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites, IHG are present in 100 countries and territories around the world.
“In an industry segment where there are a multitude of players, with distinctions that might not be apparent to the everyday consumer, IHG offers to our investors a strong brand proposition and the strength of our management system,” says Jan Smits, Chief Executive Officer for Asia, Middle East and Africa.
In Asia Australasia, IHG operate out of four sub-regions - Southeast Asia, Southwest Asia, Japan and Korea, and Australasia - in a geographical area that spans over 40 countries with some of the fastest growing economies in the world.
Smits adds: “We have over 220 hotels in the pipeline in Asia Pacific, which is about 22 per cent of the total market pipeline. These developments also represent 80 per cent of our current system size of 290 hotels region-wide.”
Each of the seven brands has its own service and product offerings - catering to different market segments and travellers. InterContinental Hotels connect well-travelled guests in key cities and resort locations; Crowne Plaza Hotels is a fast growing upscale hotel brand offering high levels of service and comfort; Holiday Inn is the powerhouse of the group; Holiday Inn Express is characterised by comfort and convenience; and Hotel Indigo is aimed at style-conscious guests who want properties that are inspired by the local neighbourhood.
IHG primarily manages hotels and provides the hotel management expertise, branding, marketing and systems delivery for bookings, as well as global, regional and local sales capability. IHG’s current pipeline in Asia, Australasia stands at 81 hotels and in total this year, the group is looking to open around 18 hotels throughout the region, especially in emerging markets. Smits adds: “IHG looks to put the right brands in the right markets, strengthening the number of hotels in the pipeline even further by expanding where suitable. For example, India is set to be IHG’s next scale market as we see strong potential in the midscale segment.
“With that in mind, we most recently signed a development deal with Duet Indian Hotels Group for 19 Holiday Inn Express hotels in the country. These 19 Holiday Inn Express hotels will add approximately 3,300 rooms to IHG’s current India development pipeline of 46 hotels and are expected to be operational by 2016.
“Currently, over 75 per cent of our India pipeline is with the Holiday Inn family of brands.” In Southeast Asia, IHG also has a healthy pipeline, especially in Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand. Thailand currently has 10 operational hotels, which is set to double – with 10 hotels opening over the next five years. ,Most recently, the Holiday Inn Phuket Mai Khao Beach Resort opened in September.
For the full article please see the RLI November 2011 issue
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