InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, the world’s largest luxury hotel brand, today reveals the most iconic sights, sounds, smells and sensations that travellers should experience in 2020 if they want to really get to know the city they are visiting. The first ever InterContinental ICons range from the smell of fresh bagels at a West Village shop in New York and the unique flavours of Karak Chai in Jumeirah Beach in Dubai, to enjoying the sight of contrasting old and new architecture in London.
The list of experiences was determined through an online public vote and then ranked by a panel of leading travel experts as the best additions to conventional tourist destinations. The InterContinental ICons will also inspire curated experiences that can be booked at some of the leading InterContinental Hotels and Resorts across the world.
Top InterContinental ICon in each city:
Paris – Smell of oven-fresh bread from the boulangeries of Oberkampf
London – The contrast of old and new architecture on the ever-changing London skyline
New York – Fresh bagels at a West Village bagel shop
Dubai – Tasting the many unique flavours of Karak Chai along Jumeirah Beach Road
Sydney – The cool breeze on your face as you ride the Manly to Circular Quay ferry
Mexico City – The smoky flavour of tacos al pastor
Shanghai – The sound of old songs played on a vinyl record player
The campaign was developed based on insight from an independent study by the brand. The research revealed that most locals (59%) feel visitors are missing out on the true spirit of a place, while 75% of luxury travellers want to experience cities like a well-informed local.
Jane Mackie, Senior Vice President, Global Marketing, IHG Luxury Portfolio comments: “True to the InterContinental brand’s heritage of pioneering luxury travel, we’ve spent the last few months working with leading experts and canvassing public opinion to uncover truly fascinating and meaningful details that showcase the best of global cities around the world. We are excited to reveal the first ever list of InterContinental ICons as well as curated itineraries to inspire travellers to go deeper.”
Charlie Hamilton James, Photographer, National Geographic and member of the judging panelcomments: “I loved working on the InterContinental ICons campaign – it opened my eyes to the many undiscovered facets that I’d been missing in each of these well-visited cities. Each one holds an infinite number of secrets and experiencing the ICons is just the way to start uncovering them.”
Discover the InterContinental ICons in London:
1. The contrast of old and new architecture on the ever-changing London skyline
2. A Sunday roast enjoyed by the fireside in an historic, hidden London pub
3. Hearing the market traders and watching the eclectic mix of people on Portobello Road on a Friday morning
4. Spotting the stags emerge in Richmond Park on a misty, autumn morning
5. The thrill of seeing the twinkling lights of the capital as you cross the Thames in a cab at night
InterContinental ICons London programming:
The InterContinental ICons have inspired a range of bookable experiences at InterContinental properties, enabling travellers to rediscover their favourite destinations in new and unexpected ways. InterContinental London Park Lane has created a picnic experience in Richmond Park to enjoy lunch while watching the stags dart amongst the trees, as part of your stay at the hotel. InterContinental London – The O2 celebrates the best of iconic London by night, with specially created cocktails inspired by each of the London ICons to be enjoyed while looking out over the skyline of London’s Docklands, before retiring to one of their rooms. Both are available to book and complement each other perfectly, to enjoy the best of the city’s lesser-known highlights.
For more details on InterContinental ICons visit life.intercontinental.com/icons.
