Meetings & Conventions - Carlson

Meetings & Conventionshttp://www.meetings-conventions.com/print.aspx?id=408185 of 8 5/4/2011 1:50 PMthe past several months alone, DoubleTree has signed multiple deals in Europe and Asia.Now a little more than four decades old, DoubleTree is on an aggressive expansion trajectory-- 30 new hotels are scheduled to open by year's end -- making it the fastest growing brand inthe Hilton portfolio.HOLIDAY INN HOTELS AND RESORTS> Parent company: InterContinental Hotels Group> Portfolio: 1,241 hotels worldwide (not including Holiday Inn Express)> New in 2011: Houston; Phoenix; Bogotá, Columbia; London> In the pipeline: Almost 900In 2007, after several years of research and in-depth customer and client surveys,Atlanta-based InterContinental Hotels Group set in motion an unprecedented $1 billionoverhaul of its iconic Holiday Inn brand. The ambitious three-year project -- seeded with $60million of IHG's own money -- is now reaping rewards. With rising guest satisfaction scores (itsbest since 2005) and a 3 to 7 percent jump in revenue per available room at relaunchedproperties, the brand is fast-tracked to regaining its status and full-service shine."We knew that Holiday Inn had not remained relevant, and we set out to bring it back," saysGina LaBarre, vice president, brand management, for IHG brands, Americas. "Now, it's acompletely different brand. Actually, it's really brand new."Say goodbye to the chintzy floral curtains, tired carpeting, and those drab and dowdy lobbies.Holiday Inn is going for airy, light, contemporary comfort. The rebranding effort, which beganwith a quality inspection and assessment of each hotel, demanded physical upgrades, suchas lobby and guest room transformations, including new bedding, linens and in-roomamenities; the ramping-up of food-and-beverage offerings; and the implementation of the newbrand's new signage, which features a large green and white "H" above the words HolidayInn.In addition, every Holiday Inn employee has had to take part in a training program dubbed"Stay Real," which emphasizes the brand's new service philosophy. To underscore itscommitment to delivering on service, the newly created position of Guest ExperienceChampion has been added at each hotel. "We sent teams to every hotel around the world toput our Holiday Inn employees through the training program," says LaBarre. "The service isgenuine and a very important element of the relaunch."For many owners, the capital investment required to meet the brand's new quality standardswere too costly, and ultimately hundreds of hotels were jettisoned from the portfolio byyear-end 2010. Today, 40 percent of Holiday Inn hotels have been in business for 10 years orless, which emphasizes the brand's new fresh, contemporary image. Among those propertiesthat invested in multimillion-dollar transformations:• The 521-room Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza Hotel has completed a $25 million top-downmakeover;• The 200-room Bridgeport Holiday Inn Conference Center in Bridgeport, Conn., recentlywrapped up a $7.5 million renovation; and• The 220-room Holiday Inn Tulsa City Center completed an $11 million renovation last year,