Singapore, 11 October 2007 � IHG�s (InterContinental Hotels
Group�s) portfolio of hotel brands has been growing at record pace across
Asia Pacific during the past year, accompanied by an equally strong growth
in the group�s regional support infrastructure. All four of the IHG brands
currently present in this part of the world � InterContinental, Crowne
Plaza, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express � continue to outperform. The
current growth momentum is especially strong in the key markets of the
People�s Republic of China (PRC), Japan and India. Some of the brands within
the IHG portfolio are also set to appear for the first time in strategic
new locations such as Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Maldives, Bangalore, Melbourne
and Adelaide.
The group has a development pipeline of more than 120 hotels and 40,000
rooms across Asia Pacific. Over 80 hotels have been signed over the past
one year period � an average of one signing every five days. More than
two thirds of these signings are for new-build hotels with the rest being
conversions of existing properties. Close to 70% of the hotels will be
located in the PRC, Japan and India, in line with IHG�s global strategy
of building the hotel industry�s strongest operating system, focused on
the biggest markets and segments where scale really counts.
IHG has also been growing its support capability in key regional locations.
Commented Tony South, acting chief executive of IHG Asia Pacific, �As we
continue to grow our network of hotels across the region, we need to put
equal emphasis on ensuring the long-term success of the hotels, which in
turn ensures better returns for our owners. As a result, we have doubled
the number of employees based in our corporate offices in Shanghai, Sydney,
Singapore, New Delhi and Tokyo during the past two years. This includes
beefing up critical functions such as talent development, hotel openings,
design and engineering, brand management, sales and revenue management.�
He added that in order to address the huge demand for trained hospitality
talent across the region, the company has launched a number of industry-leading
talent development initiatives during the past twelve months. Key among
these was the launch of the IHG Academy in Shanghai last year. Designed
to identify and groom staff for IHG�s hotels and develop the future talent
pool, the IHG Academy was recently expanded to another three cities across
the PRC. IHG partners with leading institutions in each of these locations
to help deliver the programmes.
In another industry first, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, the group�s
upscale brand for meetings and interactions, recently introduced a unique
accreditation programme for its meeting directors, in partnership with
Cornell-Nanyang Institute of Hospitality Management. This programme sets
a new benchmark for meeting services providers and provides enhanced career
development opportunities for Crowne Plaza employees.
At the same time, IHG has invested heavily in research aimed at garnering
customer insight to help take their brands in the right direction. The
company conducted one of the largest ever hotel research studies, talking
to 15,000 consumers across the globe. The insight gained is now being
used to help differentiate the company�s brands through innovation, communication
and an improved booking experience.
IHG�s Priority Club Rewards (PCR), the biggest hotel loyalty programme
in the world with 33 million members, has been growing particularly well
in Asia Pacific. The number of regional PCR members has tripled to about
three million over the last 3 years, averaging growth of about 39% annually.
Globally, IHG is opening one hotel a day around the world and signing
two hotels a day. The company now has a total of more than 1,400 hotels
(over 188,000 rooms) in the development pipeline and expects to exceed
its target of 50,000-60,000 net and organic room additions by the end of
2008.
Key brand highlights:
InterContinental Hotels & Resorts
-
Luxury hotel brand with 34 hotels (12,000 rooms) in Asia Pacific. 24 hotels
(8,400) rooms in development pipeline.
-
Will enter several key, emerging destinations for the first time, including
Melbourne, Australia; Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, Vietnam; and Qingdao,
PRC.
-
The only luxury hotel brand to have two hotels offering direct access to
the 2008 Olympics � InterContinental Beijing North is steps from the Olympic
stadium and InterContinental Qingdao is located within the Olympic sailing
venue.
-
Two co-branded hotels launched April 2007 in Tokyo, Japan, as a result
of the hotel operating joint venture with All Nippon Airways (ANA). Two
more ANA InterContinental resorts to be launched in Okinawa in 2008 and
2009.
-
Additional InterContinental Resorts will launch in Hua Hin, Thailand; Huizhou
and Sanya, PRC; Danang, Vietnam; and Okinawa, Japan. These new launches
will join existing InterContinental resorts in Bali and French Polynesia.
Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts
-
Upscale hotel brand with 51 hotels (16,500 rooms) open across Asia Pacific;
39 hotels (14,000 rooms) in development pipeline.
-
Focuses on business meetings and social interactions and is the fastest
growing hotel brand in its segment in Asia Pacific and the US.
-
In PRC, more than 40% of the hotels in the IHG development pipeline will
be Crowne Plaza hotels.
-
Six ANA Crowne Plaza co-branded hotels to launch later this year in Japan
as part of the IHG ANA hotel operating joint venture. Hotels are located
across the country, in Narita, Kanazawa, Toyama, Hiroshima, Okinawa and
Chitose.
-
Crowne Plaza hotels will enter markets such as Hanoi, Vietnam; Hangzhou,
PRC and Adelaide, Australia for the first time. The brand is also making
a re-entry into Singapore with Crowne Plaza Changi Airport opening in April
2008.
Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts
-
World�s most recognized hotel brand. 89 hotels (23,850 rooms) in Asia Pacific
and 40 hotels (12,000 rooms) in the development pipeline.
-
The leading mid-scale hotel brand in Asia Pacific and China. Voted best
mid market hotel brand in Asia Pacific and the world by readers of Business
Traveller Asia Pacific every year from 2001-2007.
-
Expected to grow significantly in India, with six of 10 upcoming IHG hotels
earmarked as Holiday Inns.
-
Maldives, Bangalore and Pattaya will see the opening of their first Holiday
Inn hotels.
Holiday Inn Express
-
Ten Holiday Inn Express hotels (3,000 rooms) currently operating in China,
Hong Kong and Japan and close to 20 hotels in the development pipeline.
-
One of the fastest growing hotel brands in the hotel industry, with one
hotel opening every four days somewhere in the world.
-
The brand offers a smart, innovative and refreshing hotel choice for business
and leisure, with relevant facilities, focused services, consistent quality
and stylish design. It is positioned between full service four star hotels
and budget hotels.
-
The Holiday Inn Express China franchising programme was launched in 2007,
targeted at hotel owners who share IHG�s vision for the brand and possess
the necessary skills and resources to operate a portfolio of hotels with
IHG�s support.
-
Holiday Inn Express plans to expand its Asia Pacific presence to Singapore
and Bangkok.
About IHG
InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (IHG) of the United Kingdom [LON:IHG,
NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is the world's largest hotel group by number of rooms.
IHG owns, manages, leases or franchises, through various subsidiaries,
over 3,800 hotels and more than 564,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries
and territories around the world. IHG owns a portfolio of well recognised
and respected hotel brands including InterContinental® Hotels &
Resorts, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels
and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites®, Candlewood
Suites® and Hotel Indigo®, and also manages the world's largest
hotel loyalty programme, Priority Club® Rewards with over 33 million
members worldwide.
|