Development Quarterly - Issue 3 IHG Europe's Development, Design & Openings magazine

D E V E L O P M E N T
Q U A R T E R L Y
IHG ® Europe’s Development, Design & Openings magazine
ISSUE
3
The Boom of Branded Boutique:
Opportunities in the industry’s
fastest growing segment
Travel:
France, her appetite for luxury and
the endless appeal of Bordeaux
Enter the Dragon:
China outbound tourism and the
importance of being China Ready
Advantage Pricing:
IHG ® launches Lowest Price Promise
with Holiday Inn Express ®

Next Generation public space at Holiday Inn Express ® London – Park Royal
Your next growth opportunity
IHG ® is one of the world's leading hotel companies. Our scale, experience and
dedication to quality ensure that your next growth opportunity will be supported
every step of the way: from signing, through the design phase, to opening and
operating a successful hotel.
Whether you choose to franchise with us, or opt for an IHG management agreement,
the diversity of our brand portfolio allows IHG hotels to meet guest needs whatever
the occasion – ultimately adding up to better returns on your investment.
IHG ® hotels host over 168
million guest nights per annum,
724,018 rooms in over 4,900
hotels in nearly 100 countries
around the world*.
To find out more about developing your hotel with IHG,
visit www.ihg.com/development
*Data correct as at 30 June 2015

ISSUE 3
contents
Welcome to issue three 3
Travel: France and the luxury market 4
Exploring the dominant position of IHG ® in the country’s luxury segment
and revealing why Bordeaux should be your next city break
Interview with… Apurva Pratap 10
Vice President of Distribution & Commercial Marketing, Europe, IHG
The Boom of Branded Boutique 12
Looking at the benefits of branding in the fastest growing hotel segment
Chinese outbound tourism: 21
The facts and figures
Enter the Dragon 22
Highlighting the importance of being China Ready
Meet… Rajesh Rana 26
Director, Andras House
How low can you go? Lowest Price Promise 28
Launching IHG’s long-awaited Advantage Pricing model
with Holiday Inn Express ®
Openings 2015 30
Holiday Inn Express – the Next Generation 38
Unveiling the public space at Holiday Inn Express ® London – Park Royal
IHG on the Road 42
Showcasing IHG’s presence at the industry’s hottest events
Events 45
Dates for your diary
A Day in the Life of… Gilles Goasdoué 46
New Hotel Openings, Europe, IHG
What is Responsible Business? 48
Shining a spotlight on corporate responsibility initiatives,
from IHG ® Shelter in a Storm to the IHG Green Engage ® system
Credits: Editor-in-Chief: Catherine A. Ross | Picture Editor: Rachel Fermie | Contributors: Philippe Bijaoui | Abigail Goldsbrough | Sandra Plant |
Photography: Alain-Caboche.com | AntonStark.co.uk | FabriceRambert.com | Kuvatoimisto Kuvio Oy | PlainviewMedia.com | Anders Portman |
Martin Sommerschield | VisualEye.biz | IHG Design: Marc Pattison | Tracey Gibbins (H&O) Print: Tim Sherringham (InnerWorkings)
Cover image: InterContinental ® Marseille - Hotel Dieu
For advertising enquiries, please contact europedevelopment@ihg.com
01

MORE HOME THAN HOTEL
Staybridge Suites® is the innovative, all-suites, extended stay brand from IHG®, designed for
upscale business and leisure travellers who want to enjoy the best of home and hotel.
Guests enjoy the friendliness of Staybridge Suites combined with homely public areas,
in-suite cooking facilities and the complimentary hot breakfast served every day.
The brand is perfect for any location where there’s demand for extended stay accommodation.

ISSUE 3
editor’s letter…
welcome to issue three
Here we are at the tail end of summer. I hope you all found time to take a vacation and enjoy a break
from the day-to-day. Summer is one of my favourite times of the year. It is all about family and
friends enjoying long sunny days and beautiful balmy evenings. Something a little less enjoyable in
the summer is construction site visits. Sweltering places where you sluggishly drag yourself around
trying to concentrate on anything but the heavy-duty jacket and fur-lined boots. It is hot work but
I can’t complain about one sweaty hour on site when construction teams do this all day every day to
build our fantastic hotels.
Now as we enter the final months of 2015, we are all feeling fresh from holiday and energised by
everything we have achieved at IHG ® since the last issue of DQ. We are well on our way to attaining
the goals we set ourselves for the year. Last month we unveiled a new and exciting set of refreshed
Build brand standards for InterContinental ® , Crowne Plaza ® and Holiday Inn ® . Later this year
the updated Hotel Indigo ® Build and Operate brand standards will be launched and work on the
Staybridge Suites ® standards will follow suit. Brand standards serve to strengthen our message and
ensure that they remain your brands of choice. They offer great inspiration about what IHG brands
mean and where they are heading in the future.
Developing great brands and financially successful hotels can only be achieved when teams work
together to achieve a common goal. I want to thank the hotel owners and their teams for their ongoing
partnership with IHG and praise the Development, Design & Openings team who work tirelessly
with the support of the Legal, Corporate Finance, Brand, Operations, Sales and Marketing teams
to open the right hotels in the right places. So far this year we have opened some fantastic hotels,
including two impressive Hotel Indigo hotels in York and Helsinki, a flagship Crowne Plaza in Berlin -
Potsdamer Platz, Holiday Inn hotels with show-stopping Open Lobbies in Frankfurt and Watford, and
Holiday Inn Express ® Grimsby, which is the first new-build to feature Generation Four rooms. We have
signed some excellent hotels including our first property in Mongolia with Holiday Inn Ulaanbaatar,
a 322-room Holiday Inn in Moscow, six hotels in Germany and three new InterContinental hotels;
Estoril, Lyon and Bordeaux. The latter two properties position IHG as the leader in France’s luxury
segment, something we explore further in this issue of the magazine.
Some other topics we cover include the importance of being China Ready and our newly launched
Lowest Price Promise. These are two features that go to show at IHG we are continuously striving for
improvement and working towards our goal to become number one.
That just leaves me to say welcome to the third issue of DQ. I hope you enjoy it and I look forward to
seeing you at events all over our region in the coming months.
Philippe Bijaoui
Vice President Development, Europe
03

TRAVEL
France’s Love Affair
with InterContinental ®
Hotels & Resorts
With landmark InterContinental ® hotels in Lyon and Bordeaux
signed over the last few months, IHG ® has cemented its
reputation as the dominating force in France’s luxury hotel
segment. So what is driving this demand and how has the
InterContinental brand capitalised on France’s unwavering
love of luxe?
04

TRAVEL
InterContinental ® Carlton Cannes
“IHG now has InterContinental hotels in every main city in
France” beams Willemijn Geels, IHG’s Associate Vice President of
Development for Northern and Eastern Europe. “This is something
to be excited about.” And she’s right. Having a leading presence in
the most visited country in the world certainly is exciting.
France plays host to at least 79m foreign tourists every year*. They
come from around the world: Francophile Chinese flock there in their
droves aided by the Schengen Agreement; visitors from the Middle
East go to escape their soaring summer temperatures; curious
Europeans go to see what all the fuss is about. From the fashion
houses to the vineyards, France is the number one destination for
good reason and its reputation is one of romance and luxury.
05

TRAVEL
InterContinental ® Bordeaux - Le Grand Hotel
InterContinental ® Bordeaux - Le Grand Hotel

TRAVEL
InterContinental ® Lyon - Hotel Dieu
Willemijn elaborates, “France remains a very attractive country for
tourists and the luxury segment is doing well. People associate
France with luxury goods, fashion, fine wines and so on. In a
sense they carry that on to their hotel stay too, so their luxury
experience doesn’t end in the shops, it continues to their choice
of accommodation. The iconic InterContinental brand in France
is associated with luxury and level of service and as we grow we
continue to strengthen that reputation.”
It is that reputation that secured two of this year’s landmark signings
for the brand. Signed in June, InterContinental ® Lyon - Hotel Dieu is a
thrilling addition to IHG’s portfolio in Europe. Due to open in Autumn
2018, it will operate under a management agreement with Crédit
Agricole Assurances and will be developed by Eiffage. Part of a multipurpose
development at the epicentre of a district undergoing total
renovation, the project has been years in the making. IHG’s Director
of Development France and North Africa, Brice Marguet explains,
“It all started with a business lunch with the Lord Mayor at the MIPIM
conference in Cannes. He invited ten hotel representatives to discuss
the upcoming RFP to select a developer and a brand to operate the
future Hotel Dieu. I attended it and promoted InterContinental as the
right brand for the area. We had meetings, we had presentations,
we focused on the InterContinental brand’s impressive estate in the
country and after some time that’s how we got it.”
“Signing InterContinental ® Lyon - Hotel Dieu
and InterContinental ® Bordeaux - Le Grand Hotel
absolutely positions IHG ® as the leader
in the luxury sector in France.”
“Willemijn Geels, Associate Vice President Development,
Northern and Eastern Europe, IHG
“
That impressive estate is what helped the brand win in Bordeaux too.
Due to open by the end of the year, the glorious InterContinental ®
Bordeaux - Le Grand Hotel will operate under a management
agreement with Financière Immobilière Bordelaise. Dating back
to 1776, the 130-room icon occupies a prime location on Place de
la Comédie in the city that’s just been awarded Top Destination by
European Best Destinations 2015. As the second project to get the
thumbs up within a month, it has been a summer to celebrate at IHG.
“Signing InterContinental Lyon - Hotel Dieu and InterContinental
Bordeaux - Le Grand Hotel absolutely positions IHG as the leader in
the luxury sector in France” Willemijn continues. “The fact we have
very well-known historical properties in Paris, Cannes and Marseille
spread the word for the InterContinental brand. They definitely helped
us secure the latest properties.”
France’s love affair with luxury tourism has gone from strength to
strength. The long-anticipated affluent Chinese guest has started
arriving and initiatives like the successful ‘Do you speak touriste?’
campaign by the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry have
gone a long way to enhance France’s position as a tourist-friendly
must-visit destination. With hospitality competition fiercer than
ever, IHG can be particularly proud of the InterContinental estate
across a country that can claim the third largest income in the world
from tourism*.
* Luxury Society, February 2014
07

TRAVEL
InterContinental ® Marseille - Hotel Dieu
The InterContinental ® Estate in France
InterContinental Hotels & Resorts has won the World’s Leading Hotel Brand at the World Travel Awards for six years running.
Here is how the brand’s estate in France pans out...
InterContinental ® Lyon - Hotel Dieu
Signed: June 2015
Due to open: 2018
Rooms & suites: 143
Located on the bank of the river Rhône, this hotel is being converted
from Lyon’s former Hotel Dieu, one of the oldest hospitals in France.
It forms part of a listed group of buildings that dates back to the 17th
Century, close to Place Bellecour in the very heart of the city.
InterContinental ® Bordeaux - Le Grand Hotel
Signed: July 2015
Due to open: Q4 2015
Rooms & suites: 130
Dating back to 1776, this hotel is based on Place de la Comédie in
the centre of Bordeaux, a city that was recently voted European Best
Destination, 2015. F&B will be overseen by the Gordon Ramsay Group
and will include the fine dining restaurant Le Pressoir D’Argent.
InterContinental ® Marseille - Hotel Dieu
Opened: May 2013
Rooms & suites: 216
Overlooking the Vieux Port, adjacent to the oldest district in Marseille
known as the Panier, this historic hotel is housed in a listed historical
monument dating back to the 18th century. With a spectacular terrace,
it also boasts the first ever Spa by Clarins in Marseille.
InterContinental ® Paris - Avenue Marceau
Opened: September 2008
Rooms & suites: 57
Ideally located a short walk from the Champs Elysées and overlooking
the Eiffel Tower, this boutique-style hotel is home to exclusive
Le M64 Restaurant. Once the private mansion of Lord de Breteuil,
this beautifully renovated property is at the very heart of Paris.
InterContinental ® Carlton Cannes
Opened: September 1991
Rooms & suites: 382
This hotel’s Belle Epoque façade overlooks the stunning Bay of
Cannes. Situated on the Boulevard de La Croisette, famous for the
Cannes Film Festival and designer shopping, it has its own exclusive
beach restaurant and pier.
InterContinental ® Paris - Le Grand
Opened: 1976
Rooms & suites: 540
Located in the 9th arrondissement, close to the Louvre Museum,
shopping and theatre, this luxury Paris hotel is truly an icon. In 2014
the hotel’s famous ballroom the Salon Opera and Salon Berlioz
underwent a €6million restoration over a five-month period.
08

TRAVEL
Why Bordeaux?
Classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007, Bordeaux
earned the enviable title of 2015’s Top Destination by European
Best Destinations earlier this year. It’s not hard to see why. A recent
regeneration project has revived the city’s elegant dignity and
injected new life into areas previously untouched. Chartrons is a
case in point. Once an area of abandoned warehouses, gentrification
has transformed it into the city’s trendiest neighbourhood, with
contemporary design shops, clothing boutiques and delightful
eateries. And food and wine are what makes this city tick. You can
eat and drink yourself silly in a host of restaurants, from multiple
Michelin-starred offerings to the diverse food stalls at Marché des
Capucins. Bordeaux’s wine production remains world dominating,
and no trip to the region is complete without a vineyard tour or two.
The sweeping Garonne river, with its quaint riverbank homes and
the beautiful Pont de Pierre, provides countless photo opportunities.
So too does the Triangle-d’Or, which combines 18th-century charm
with modern bustle. The Musée d’Aquitaine is a testament to the
city’s illustrious heritage and no visit to Bordeaux is complete
without taking in the unbeatable views from the Cathédrale
Saint-André’s bell tower.
Bordeaux unites classical and neo-classical architecture with urban
development and attracts tourists and businesses from around the
world. It presents a unique investment opportunity and IHG is very
proud to be opening the InterContinental Bordeaux - Le Grand Hotel
later this year.
09

INTERVIEW

INTERVIEW
Interview with…
Apurva Pratap
Apurva Pratap is Vice President of Distribution & Commercial Marketing, Europe and has been heavily involved in creating
the IHG ® Lowest Price Promise. Before joining IHG in 2009 Apurva held Director positions in global marketing and strategy
at Starbucks Coffee Co. after crafting a successful career in the finance sector while establishing his family’s upscale resort
hotel in India. We caught up with him to talk about his work-life balance, his passion for Shakespeare and childhood plans
for time travel.
What is your typical day like?
I get up between 6:30-7:00am and my wife and I get my daughter
ready for nursery. She is my first child and is two-and-a-half now,
so it is precious time for us. I get into the office about 9:00am,
but I’m only there about half of the time, the rest is spent travelling.
A big part of my job is talking to our owner community. I go to sales
and marketing subcommittee meetings, IT meetings, country owner
meetings, owner board meetings. It is critical to get owner input,
buy-in and endorsement because that’s what makes or breaks
anything we do!
You must be very proud of what IHG has achieved with Lowest
Price Promise.
I am very proud. It is a project that has required many teams. It’s
our sales team ensuring our distribution channels are working, our
brand team creating the messaging, our marketing team making
sure the right message is conveyed to the right people in the right
place, it’s revenue management ensuring price integrity, it’s the
hotel, it’s operations; everybody had their role to play. Something
that really engages the whole company is great because the whole
is greater than the sum of its parts.
Tell us about your most recent project, the Lowest Price Promise.
It was born out of finding a way to address our guests’ key needs.
They were telling us they wanted the best prices using a simple
channel so over time and a lot of work, we devised our Lowest Price
Promise. It’s important to emphasise that this is a promise that has
real substance. It delivers the best results every time and never
breaks that promise. We have rolled it out with Holiday Inn Express ®
first and only when we are absolutely confident that we can achieve
that across the other brands, we will roll it out to them.
You are a numbers and a people man. Have you developed that
balance over time?
I have been fortunate to work in some fantastic organisations. When
I was a consultant in McKinsey & Co. I spent a lot of time with six
to eight other organisations and in general you find the thing you
are most proud of is the degree to which you’ve made an impact
on individuals. Yes, I take satisfaction from making an impact on a
company, but it’s the impact on people that is really gratifying.
Have you always had leadership in mind?
I love to work in teams but I like to see myself making an impact. In
school I led the debate team, the dramatics team and inter-school
and collegiate competitions. Leading has always given me a great
sense of pride. I think a team can achieve more than a single person
and in a leadership role you get the benefit of that broader impact.
So do you think you’re competitive?
Absolutely! Our team won a lot of those debates in school! I always
carefully choose what I take on, but when I take something on I have to
do the best job possible.
“
I take satisfaction from making an impact
on a company, but it’s the impact on people
that is really gratifying.
“
Lowest Price Promise has been a huge project, how do you maintain
a healthy work-life balance?
It is naturally balanced because I love what I do. If you really love
your work you don’t get home too tired to enjoy being with your
family. One thing I do, which might be good or bad practice, is go
through emails when everyone is asleep. It is my one little piece of
time for quiet reflection and the rest of my time is spent with people.
Tell us about your love of theatre.
I was very fortunate in my school to get involved in theatre at a
very young age. I love the fact that you immerse yourself into
someone else’s life and learn about them. Learning is something
that motivates me in everything I do. I especially love Shakespeare
because it is so evergreen. It was written so long ago but still so
much of it is true today.
What did you want to be when you were a child?
I always loved to travel so I wanted to be a pilot. When I was six we
went to America and the 20 hours from India felt like days. I knew
that the world turned in 24 hours, so I always imagined that if we
flew straight up into the atmosphere and then came straight down
we could get there in 12 hours just by the earth’s turning, and then
if we went against the turn we could cut that in half again. It seems
I was devising time travel from an early age!
What are you working on at the moment?
I am working on something called Loyalty 2.0 which is about building
relationships with all our IHG ® Rewards Club members at different
levels of loyalty. It aims to move beyond purely transactional rewards,
like free nights, to build relationships that make sure we understand
what matters to every customer and consistently deliver on that.
Everything starts with the customer and if you get that right you can
achieve anything.
11

BRANDS

BRANDS
The Boom of
Branded Boutique
The boutique segment is the fastest growing in the industry
and IHG ® is the global leader in the field. But why exactly is
boutique seeing such a surge in popularity and what can
branding bring to the traditionally independent market?
For the last four years the boutique segment has outperformed the
overall industry in demand, supply and growth. So when earlier this year,
IHG announced the acquisition of Kimpton ® Hotels & Restaurants it was
a significant move which, alongside Hotel Indigo ® , gives IHG the largest
footprint in the global boutique hotel space. No mean feat considering the
competition in a segment that’s enjoying so much success.
Combined, IHG’s Hotel Indigo and Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants brands
boast a total of over 200 open and pipeline hotels across 22 countries.
The pace of growth of Hotel Indigo alone is far outstripping the competition
and with Kimpton on board, IHG has taken another leap ahead of the
game. Richard Solomons, Chief Executive Officer of IHG elaborates,
“The distinctive and innovative Kimpton brand will fit perfectly into the IHG
brand family. The acquisition is another step in IHG’s well-established
asset-light strategy of investing in high-quality growth, building on a
strong track record of developing iconic global brands. We will use our
scale, network of owner relationships, and powerful digital platforms to
accelerate Kimpton’s growth both within the US and internationally.“
Hotel Indigo ® Helsinki - Boulevard
13

BRANDS
Why Generation Y is key
Over the last decade, hotels as an investment vehicle have grown in
importance. As these last few years in particular have shown, boutique and
lifestyle present a highly compelling investment case. Since the inception
of ‘boutique’ in the early 80s, the concept has always been considered
something of a niche market, a trendy flash-in-the-pan with no legs to
stand the test of time. Thirty years on and several economic busts later,
boutique is booming.
The often misunderstood sector has crafted an identity, courted a new
breed of guest and reaped the rewards. A core development in the sector’s
success has been truly understanding the boutique patron. With every year
that passes, more Generation Ys and Millennials make up hotel guests.
This generational shift and evolving guest habits have contributed to the
growth of the industry.
Those in their 20s-50s, the techies-meet-creatives are now looking for
more than traditional comfort and convenience for their business and
leisure travel. They want authentic local adventure without the exhaustion
of a backpack. Theirs is an Instagrammable stay; something sexy and
stylish to brag about online. A Facebook check-in here and a #foodporn
tweet there. Boutique is beautiful, and beautiful and social media go hand
in hand. Dina Soliman, Director of Brand Management, Hotel Indigo in
Europe lends her opinion, “Generation Ys and Millennials are certainly
more open, less risk averse and keener to get out and explore and there are
boutique brands that are geared to that. However, in my view the growth
behind the boutique segment is wider than the Millennial generation pull.
The growth and demand for this segment is across generations and in fact
goes beyond our industry. The dominance of chains seen in our high streets
means that every city in Europe starts to seem the same and people are
looking to move away from that – hence the demand in boutique, one-off
shops and unusual items.”
Lorien Hotel & Spa, a Kimpton ® Hotel
14

BRANDS

BRANDS
Hotel Indigo ® York

BRANDS
Hotel Indigo ® York, designed by matthews mee
Size? It’s what you do with it that counts
The concept of branded boutique might seem like an oxymoron.
There is a romanticism in the independent and the unique and an
understandable fear of a cloned and uniform experience should
a boutique become a chain. From a developer’s point of view,
there is a perceived risk of restrictive brand standards throttling
any creativity from their hotel. And so with boutique hotels come
more flexible design and tailored concepts. Personalised guest
experience is far more important to the segment than negotiating
a few square millimetres. This variety all adds to the uniqueness
of the hotel. It all works to maintain the authenticity of the genre.
Boutique hotels pride themselves on being not merely a hotel
product. They look to add value to not only the building but the
neighbourhood it sits in. Hotel Indigo has built this element into
the core of its brand. Dina Soliman elaborates, “Just as no two
neighbourhoods are alike, no two Hotel Indigo properties are alike.
Each hotel’s neighbourhood story is woven throughout the guest
experience, from the local cuisine, to the art, photography and
architecture incorporated into the hotel’s design. The boutique space
is about creating distinctive experiences and lasting memories and
it’s important that isn’t lost by going with branded boutique.”
Branded boutique is an evolving market that offers a compelling
investment proposition. At the heart of the segment is the idea
that with the backing of a global hotel company like IHG, a hotel
combines the design cache of boutique with the operational
credibility of a large hotel chain. Nobody wants to sacrifice the
unique appeal of the sector and by understanding and catering for
a new breed of guest and identifying the make-up of the segment,
branded boutique ensures that nothing is lost and, as the figures
show, everything is gained.
17

Hotel Indigo ® Helsinki – Boulevard
BRANDS

BRANDS
Number crunch:
– Hotel Indigo ® : 62 hotels with 64 in the pipeline
– Kimpton ® Hotels & Restaurants: 66 hotels with 15 in the pipeline
– Demand growth for boutique hotels is almost double that of the total industry
– Growth in room count is almost 4x the industry average
– IHG has tripled the presence of Hotel Indigo outside of the US in just over three years
– Hotel Indigo hotels get an average rating of 4.5 in Europe on TripAdvisor
All data as at 30 June 2015
19

20

INFOGRAPHIC
$35,000
per annum
The threshold of household
income in China that
makes international
travel affordable
70%
of outbound travel from China
is to major cities
62%
of total
outbound
travel
will be
leisure
tourism*
97m ARRIVALS
Annual arrivals from China
to global destinations*
61%
The expected
per-night increase
in money spent
by Chinese tourists*
53%
of disposable income
currently spent on travel
150
CITIES
Chinese cities
with a population
of over 1 million
Additional volume of Chinese visitors arriving by 2023
MILAN +108%
LUCERNE +86%
WARSAW +123%
FLORENCE +120%
ROME +181%
FRANKFURT +100% VENICE +127%
PARIS +93% LONDON +174%
MUNICH +105%
China is now recognised as the largest travelling nation and contributor to hotel revenue growth
in the world. The Chinese outbound market preference is evolving towards long-haul, leisure-driven
travel, primarily to cities. Urbanisation drives GDP growth and household income levels. IHG ® China
Ready accreditation enables hotels to deliver a great experience for Chinese guests.
*by 2023
21

TRENDS

TRENDS
Enter the Dragon…
The importance of being China Ready
In 2014 the Chinese became the largest nation of outbound travellers globally, overtaking the U.S. and Germany.
Between now and 2020, the number of Chinese travellers is expected to grow to over 150 million*. We look at how
Europe is preparing for this influx of new guests and what IHG ® is doing to welcome this most lucrative of markets.
Between 2000-2010, the Chinese economy tripled in size. It is now
the world’s second largest economy, with only the U.S. standing
in its way of the top spot. More people in its total population of
1.3 billion are enjoying financial security than ever before. And
it’s not just those in the major cities who are influencing this
boom. Tier two and three cities are also driving growth and the
middle classes have expanded massively. The number of Chinese
households earning above $35,000 per annum – identified as
the income level at which international travel becomes more
affordable – rose by 21 million from 2003 to 2013. An additional
61 million households will pass this threshold by 2023.**
With this rise in salary, the average family has disposable income
that was unthinkable only a decade ago. This, coupled with more
relaxed travel restrictions and simplified visa processes, it’s no
wonder the Chinese are flocking to Europe in their millions.
The UK, France and Germany look to benefit the most. According
to ‘The Future of Chinese Travel’, a joint Oxford Economics and IHG
study, London looks set to double the number of Chinese visitors
it receives between 2013 and 2023. That equates to over 60% of all
Chinese arrivals to the UK. France is ranked at number two for top
long-haul arrivals and German cities Munich, Frankfurt and Berlin
feature among the top city nights in Europe with absolute growth of
200,000, 199,000 and 169,000 nights respectively.
The traditional image of the Chinese tourist is one of touring en
masse to the most crowded tourist hotspots. But today, that trend
is changing. Drew Davy, Programme Director of IHG’s China
Outbound project throws some light on why, “It’s not that those
huge bus tours are stopping. They still have a place for first-time
travellers on multi-country tours. But what we’re seeing now is
once they have made that step, their confidence is boosted and
many more people are travelling solo or in smaller groups of
friends and family.”
In fact 71% of Chinese travellers are now choosing independent
travel over the 29% opting for group tours.* In addition to leisure
tourism, the growth of business travel also accounts for an increase
in the number of Chinese travelling solo. This adds to the number
of rooms Chinese guests are booking for individuals, as opposed to
family, friends and partners sharing a room. As a major business
hub, London is estimated to be the largest European market for
Chinese room nights.
This evolution in Chinese traveller comes with its own demands.
Where once it was just the hotels on the tour trails that were versed
in hosting Chinese guests, now more hotels need to be ready to
cater for the growth of this new type of traveller. The industry as a
whole has had to react and earlier this year IHG launched its own
response with the China Ready programme.
Offered across two tiers, China Ready is a self-accreditation
programme that acts as a guarantee to Chinese guests that their
stay will be everything they want it to be. “Being China Ready is
a mark of distinction” Drew points out. “Hotels merited with the
China Ready stamp are so much more likely to attract the Chinese
market and word of mouth is everything. We are also affiliated with
a Chinese government agency called the China Tourism Academy
(CTA), which adds a huge amount of credibility.”
Presented in an Essential and Premium tier, the programme was
devised after extensive research into what Chinese tourists want
from their stay. From the food & beverage (F&B) offering to the
TV channel choices to accepted payment methods. But just as
important as the services is the personal etiquette, something that
both tiers of the programme cover.
23

TRENDS
“Understanding the culture is absolutely critical to delivering a
good experience for a Chinese guest” Drew says. “You could easily
be in a situation where you sit a Chinese guest at table number
four, which is decorated with chrysanthemums and when they go to
pay, you take the credit card from them with one hand. In just those
three instances you could damage the Chinese experience because
number four is unlucky, cut flowers aren’t good and presenting
and receiving items with one hand is disrespectful. You might think
you’ve done a great job, but you’ve undermined several aspects of
their culture, so it’s deeply important to understand those nuances.”
While all this might sound obvious, the number of hotels getting
it wrong remains high. Although the Chinese arrivals have been
on the cards for a while, the hotel industry has been slow to
respond, but IHG is in a powerful position to offer a solution.
As IHG’s Kenneth Macpherson, Chief Executive Officer of Greater
China told us, “As the first international hotel company to enter the
market in mainland China, we have an unparallelled 30 years of
in-depth knowledge and experience with the Chinese consumer.
This puts us in a unique position to create a China Ready programme
that enables our hotels around the world to deliver a great guest
experience to our Chinese guests.”
Drew continues, “We’ve got the Welcome Chinese website which
has an affiliation with the CTA – nobody else has got that. We’ve got
cultural training – nobody else has got that. We’ve just got better
all-round execution and overall a better offer on the table.”
24

TRENDS
The two tiers on offer both present a healthy return on investment to
owners*. The Essential tier ensures hotels have the key infrastructure
to support the guest experience. This includes Chinese TV channels,
China Union payment methods, Chinese-speaking staff at the front
desk (or via 24/7 phone support) and condensed cross-cultural
training. The Premium tier offers that much more, with all restaurant
and in-room menus translated into Chinese, a full Chinese F&B
offering and extensive cultural training, something Drew feels is
key for both tiers, “We felt it was an important element to offer the
cultural training in both tiers as opposed to just one. It isn’t just,
‘Here’s the teas, here’s the food’. Understanding relationships,
respect and all the other cultural elements is make or break for a
good guest experience.”
Being China Ready is imperative, and IHG’s programme is putting
hotels well on the way to reaching this lucrative market. Drew sums
it up, “One fifth of the population of the world is Chinese and it’s
growing. The choice is to become China Ready and draw in that
market right now, or wait for them to come and then play catch up.”
Number crunch:
The ten most important things to Chinese guests*
1. Free WiFi
2. China UnionPay / Alipay accepted
3. In-house Mandarin speaking staff available 24/7 or phone
support 24/7
4. Translated travel / tourism guides
5. Hotel website in Mandarin
6. In-room food service options
7. Chinese TV programmes
8. Chinese breakfast
9. Translated welcome material
10. Chinese newspapers / magazines
Well, when you put it like that...
* ‘Is Your Hotel China Ready?’, IHG, 2015
** ‘The Future of Chinese Travel’, Oxford Economics report for IHG, 2015
25

INTERVIEW

INTERVIEW
“
“
Holiday Inn ® is the class leader in its sector so
coupled with the IHG ® mechanisms, we decided
it was the brand to go for.
Meet…
Rajesh Rana
Rajesh Rana is Director at Andras House, leading hotel developer and operator in Northern Ireland. Founded by his
father, Lord Diljit Rana, in 1981 the company specialised in office and restaurant development before opening their first
hotel in 1987 with the Holiday Inn ® brand. Based in Belfast, they have a total of six hotels in their portfolio. Their latest
project is a Days Hotel conversion to Holiday Inn ® Belfast City Centre. We caught up with him at the Owner’s Association
forum at the IHG ® headquarters in Denham, UK.
When did you first work with IHG?
After our very first Holiday Inn, we did a Holiday Inn Express ® in
1996, which I believe was one of the first franchise Holiday Inn
Express hotels in the UK. We refurbished that in 2010 and it’s doing
very well. At the moment we’re repurposing the Days Hotel to be a
Holiday Inn, which we’re very excited about. We’re spending £2.5m
really upgrading it. It’s like a new hotel.
Why did you decide to go with Holiday Inn for that location?
Holiday Inn is the class leader in its sector so coupled with the IHG
mechanisms, we decided it was the brand to go for. We are used to
working with Holidex and the people are easy to work with. We’ve
worked with IHG for years and contribution is a key thing. We’re
already talking to the global sales team about key contracts that we
could bring to Holiday Inn Belfast City Centre and they’re keen to get
on top of it.
What does IHG bring to the table?
I think IHG probably has the balance right in terms of flexibility.
Some hotel companies are too flexible and they have some poorly
performing assets that they need to get rid of but don’t do anything
about. Some are very prescriptive but I would probably say IHG gets
the balance right. The Owners Association forum is a great platform
that other brands don’t really have and now they’ve got the Key
Performance Indicators, it’s easier to pinpoint elements that you
need to focus on.
What do you think are upcoming trends in the industry?
Offering guests the best price through the Advantage Pricing model
is such a no brainer. It seems obvious that this has to happen and
technology is driving it in that direction, but nothing has been done
about it until now. I think it is genuinely pioneering because it wasn’t
something the owners were pushing for but when you realise that
your own hotel is being undersold by someone else, it makes you
sit up in shock. We’re very pleased about it.
What is the market like in Belfast at the moment?
The market in Belfast has grown quite a lot. Back office, IT and oil
rigs are helping to build the economy, but there’s also tourism and
business travel. Waterfront Hall is a great big concert hall which they’re
now extending to what will be a world-leading conference centre.
The Holiday Inn Belfast City Centre fits right into that market because
delegates like to stay in branded hotels. And they don’t get much more
recognisable than Holiday Inn.
How did you get to where you are today?
I have a degree in Physics, a degree in Architecture which takes about
six years and now I make hotels! I suppose I’m quite a methodical
person, so I like to know where I want to get to, what are the steps
I have to do to get there. I wouldn’t claim to be an expert. I’m learning
and that’s the key! If you’re not learning, you’re not doing it right.
What is the Andras House development strategy?
Because all of our hotels are in Belfast, our strategy is to capture all
of the main brands in one area. Some company portfolios are made
up entirely of Holiday Inn Express but they’re all across Europe.
Because we’re not geographically dispersed we feel that we have to
be brand dispersed instead. So we have IHG, Accor and Wyndham
brands and that suits us very well. It’s a defensive strategy – if we
didn’t do it, someone else would.
And where do you see Andras House going in the future?
I think as a company we have really invested in a lot of the
products. The Holiday Inn Belfast City Centre is fully refurbished,
the Holiday Inn Express ® Belfast City – Queen’s Quarter is fully
refurbished, our other assets are either new or fully refurbished.
I see us starting to focus more on the operational side of things.
Obviously we are an operating company, but now that we have got
the assets where we want them, we need to work on the human
assets and the skillset. That’s probably the next challenge.
27

TRENDS
Lower
than a
sausage
dog having
a lie down.
28

TRENDS
“
“
The initiative is important and the aim is clear: Lowest Price
Promise guarantees that loyalty club members will get a lower
price than anywhere else when booking directly with IHG ® .
Launching the Lowest Price Promise – a pledge to guests
Earlier this year IHG ® launched Advantage Pricing, a discounted rate offered to IHG ® Rewards Club members if they
book direct. Sounds simple enough, but this Lowest Price Promise is a result of substantial research into online
travel agencies, loyalty clubs and most of all improving the guest experience.
It’s been almost 20 years since Microsoft launched online travel
agency Expedia. After a slow start, what followed was an explosion
in online travel agencies (OTAs) which has been nothing short of
an industry revolution. As access to the internet grew, so too did
people’s confidence in internet security, leading to more online
bookings. But the business model really expanded when hospitality
called for a much needed boost in the wake of 9/11. Coupled with
increasingly cost conscious customers following 2008’s economic
crisis OTAs have, in a relatively short period of time, grown beyond
all predictions. Last year alone, they took a combined total of
$278 billion in bookings*.
Now IHG has launched its very own way to connect with today’s new
breed of savvy guest. Advantage Pricing piloted in May with Holiday
Inn Express ® in the UK & Ireland. Currently direct channels have
price parity with OTAs, but by offering rooms through the closed
user group of IHG Rewards Club, IHG is able to offer the best value.
The initiative is important and the aim is clear: Lowest Price Promise
guarantees that loyalty club members will get a lower price than
anywhere else when booking directly with IHG. Vice President of
Distribution & Commercial Marketing in Europe, Apurva Pratap
elaborates, “Lowest Price Promise was born out of finding a way to
make things simple for our guests and addressing their key needs.
Everything starts with the customer and customers have been
telling us they find it increasingly difficult to determine where to
get the best price for our hotels. The distribution landscape has got
much more complicated.”
Research commissioned by Holiday Inn Express backs this up.
The average British person spends approximately eight days a year
searching for the best deals. Out of the 2,000 people surveyed,
75% were ‘frustrated’ when searching for the lowest price for
holidays, hotels, mobile phones and bills. A massive 69% felt there
were too many price comparison sites, which left them feeling
muddled and unsure whether they had got the best deal or not. It’s
clear that trust is a major issue between the customer and booking
channel. Apurva continues, “What we want to make sure of is when
we offer Lowest Price Promise it is a promise with real substance
which is true every single time, so there can never be an occasion
where that promise is broken.”
Direct booking channels include the IHG website, the Central
Reservations Office and the mobile application which is a route to
purchase that is only going to increase. Last year, market research
company Euromonitor estimated that by 2017 over 30% of online
travel bookings will be made on mobile devices. If this trend
continues, IHG can be confident that its app will deliver as it was
recently voted as the best iOS app in the world by Apptentive.
As IHG’s largest estate, the Holiday Inn Express brand was an
obvious choice for piloting the scheme. It is also the brand that
customers most associate with simplicity, so aligning the booking
process with that ‘Simple. Smart. Spot On.’ messaging became the
priority. But what of the plans to roll it out across IHG’s brand family?
“We are working through how we can create that same simplicity
and are able to ensure that without question, there will never be
an instance where you can find a lower price through some other
means” confirms Apurva. “When we are confident that we are able
to achieve that across all the brands, we will do so.”
It is a clever solution that has been a long time coming. Through
direct channels cost-of-sale is reduced, brand reputation and
guest experience are more closely managed and guests benefit
from loyalty club features as well as the lowest prices. But how
will OTAs respond to this initiative? With deep pockets, they are
well resourced to respond. “Certainly they are attempting to
respond with loyalty programmes” Apurva comments, “but one of
the things that the hotel companies have over OTAs is they actually
manage the hotel experience. You might spend seven minutes and
40 seconds on a booking website but you spend 48 hours at the
hotel, so what’s actually delivered by the hotel stay is a huge part
of the overall experience. We value OTAs. They have a role to play
and we would like to keep supporting that, but at the same time we
want to make sure that as the brand owner, we ensure guests have
the best possible experience in terms of price and stay.”
Advantage Pricing is a game changer. It answers the customer call
for clarity and value while increasing loyalty members, preserving
brand integrity and ultimately improving the owner proposition.
And in the end, everybody wins.
* Euromonitor, January 2014
29

OPENINGS 2015
2015
OPENINGS
We create Great Hotels Guests Love
The IHG ® ambition to be #1 for owners, guests and colleagues is, in its
simplest form, about winning. So far in 2015*, the European Development,
Design & Openings team has opened 13 great hotels and signed many
exciting new deals. From the first meeting to discuss a new project the
team works to enable your vision – advising on brand selection, design
and build, staffing and technology and supporting the team right up to the
successful opening of the hotel. This helps ensure that you are connected
to the value that IHG brings from the very beginning.
10
02
12
13
11
09
08
04
05
06
03
30

OPENINGS 2015
07
01
2015 Openings
1. Holiday Inn ® Baku, Azerbaijan
Opened 19 March
223 rooms
New construction
2. Hotel Indigo ® Helsinki - Boulevard, Finland
Opened 4 March
120 rooms
Conversion
3. Holiday Inn Express ® Toulon - Sainte-Musse, France
Opened 9 January
81 rooms
New construction
4. Crowne Plaza ® Berlin - Potsdamer Platz, Germany
Opened 28 April
256 rooms
Rebrand
5. Holiday Inn ® Frankfurt - Alte Oper, Germany
Opened 1 March
249 rooms
New construction
6. Holiday Inn ® Dresden - City South, Germany
Opened 20 May
91 rooms
Rebrand
7. Holiday Inn Express ® Istanbul Airport, Turkey
Opened 24 March
110 rooms
Conversion
8. Crowne Plaza ® London - Battersea, UK
Opened 12 January
78 rooms
Rebrand
9. Holiday Inn ® London - Watford Junction, UK
Opened 20 February
93 rooms
Conversion
10. Holiday Inn Express ® Aberdeen Airport, UK
Opened 7 May
193 rooms
New construction
11. Holiday Inn Express ® London - ExCel, UK
Opened 16 June
204 rooms
New construction
12. Holiday Inn Express ® Grimsby, UK
Opened 30 June
80 rooms
New construction
13. Staybridge Suites ® London - Vauxhall, UK
Opened 23 January
93 rooms
New construction
*Data as at 30 June 2015
31

OPENINGS 2015
ˇHoliday Inn Express ® Aberdeen Airport, UK
ˇHoliday Inn ® London - Watford Junction, UK

OPENINGS 2015
ˇHoliday Inn Express ® Toulon - Sainte-Musse, France
ˇHoliday Inn ® Dresden - City South, Germany

OPENINGS 2015
ˇCrowne Plaza ® Berlin - Potsdamer Platz, Germany
ˇHoliday Inn ® Baku, Azerbaijan

OPENINGS 2015
ˇHoliday Inn Express ® Istanbul Airport, Turkey
ˇStaybridge Suites ® London - Vauxhall, UK

OPENINGS 2015
ˇHoliday Inn Express ® Grimsby, UK
ˇCrowne Plaza ® London - Battersea, UK

OPENINGS 2015
ˇHoliday Inn ® Frankfurt - Alte Oper, Germany
ˇHotel Indigo ® Helsinki - Boulevard, Finland

BRANDS
Holiday Inn Express ® London - Park Royal

BRANDS
Introducing the Next Generation of
public space at Holiday Inn Express ®
London - Park Royal
In the previous issue of DQ magazine, we looked at the
Next Generation of Holiday Inn Express ® , what it means
for the brand, the owners and the guests. Since then
the very first new-look public space has been unveiled
at Holiday Inn Express London - Park Royal. We went
along to check out the new features.
Holiday Inn Express forms part of the largest hotel brand family in
the world and launching the Next Generation of the brand is a huge
step for IHG ® . When prototypes were revealed at the International
Hotel Investment Forum in Berlin earlier this year, they were
extremely well received. Now guests can finally experience the real
thing at the Holiday Inn Express London - Park Royal, which was
unveiled in July.
The five-storey building is well located to pilot the new-look public
space. It has speedy links to central London, Wembley Conference
Centre for major exhibitions, Wembley Stadium and Arena for
sporting events and concerts, and it’s minutes away from Westfield
London, one of Europe’s biggest shopping centres. As a modern build
with 108 bedrooms and three purpose built meeting rooms, Holiday
Inn Express London - Park Royal is in many ways a prototypical
example of the Holiday Inn Express brand. Karan Khanna, Vice
President, Head of Design & Engineering in Europe agrees, “It’s
not the biggest or the smallest Holiday Inn Express and it has
minimal food and beverage (F&B) as per the previous standard. It
is well located for the target guest and its close proximity to IHG’s
headquarters in Denham made the project easier to manage. Also,
the fact that it’s close to Holiday Inn ® London - West, which has a
great Open Lobby, is a benefit. It gives people a strong example of
how the two brands are different and yet carry a similar philosophy.”
That philosophy has been informed by considerable consumer
insight, taking into account the evolving consumer behaviour;
from the rise of the laptop-and-latte guest to the remote-working
business traveller. Karan elaborates, “Guests were telling us they
were looking for an F&B that suited their needs and schedule,
especially in the UK. When you add that to owner insight about
efficient use of public space, we felt that a holistic review of the
Next Generation was required. So it’s not just a new room design
or public space design, it touches every single thing from layout
and furniture to service, technology, merchandising and so on.”
39

BRANDS
Leaning towards a more aspirational guest with design-conscious
furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E), Holiday Inn Express Next
Generation is a project that has been painstakingly value and time
engineered. Karan confirms, “Once the funding and consultants
are on board it is around a 4-6 week build. Through the value
engineering that we’ve done, the rooms cost pretty much the same
as generation three rooms. We’ve made smart choices about where
we’ve spent the money, the FF&E and so on. Certain things are
more expensive than before, but we’ve taken money out of other
parts of the room to compensate. On top of that, there should be
greater revenue generated from the public areas. Hopefully the
new design provides a greater opportunity to charge a premium
rate, which should mean that this is a higher return on investment
product than the previous generation”.
40

BRANDS
And if research conducted at two properties is anything to go by, it’s
worth it. Quantitative research collated feedback from more than 30
guests at Holiday Inn Express ® London – Greenwich and a comparable
generation three hotel, Holiday Inn Express ® Harlow. The insight was
clear: guests love it. Five out of ten guests gave the generation three
model 5/5 and the other five guests gave it 4/5. Already impressive
results, but generation four topped that with almost eight out of
ten guests giving it 5/5 and the rest rating it 4/5. “It’s safe to say we
are pleased with the results” admits Karan. “By piloting the public
space at Holiday Inn Express London - Park Royal, which was already
a successful hotel, we were able to check the full enhanced scope
versus what the base model should be like. It is a great product that’s
been the result of a lot of hard work.”
Holiday Inn Express London - Park Royal is a fantastic example of
where the brand is heading. Reception desks have been replaced by
space-saving pods, improved working areas and free WiFi encourages
people into revenue-generating space and more flexible F&B reflects
guest needs. To launch in such a key London location is a massive
coup for the brand and an exciting addition to IHG’s estate.
41

EVENTS
IHG ® on the Road
Since the last issue, members of the Development, Design & Openings team have played host to and participated in some
significant industry conferences across the patch. From the IHG Germany Investor Day hosted in the new Holiday Inn ®
Frankfurt - Alte Oper to the International Hotel Investment Forum in Berlin where we unveiled the Next Generation of
Holiday Inn Express ® . These events provide an important platform to showcase the services that IHG offers owners and
operators in addition to thanking them for their ongoing support. It also aligns our thinking and strengthens our journey
together to achieve Great Hotels Guests Love.
International Hotel Investment Forum 2015
2-4 March, InterContinental ® Berlin
42

EVENTS
IHG ® Germany Investor Day
7 May, Holiday Inn ® Frankfurt - Alte Oper
43

To register for the UK’s leading
hotel conference, please visit
www.theahc.co.uk
IHG ® are proud
sponsors of the Annual
Hotel Conference 2015
We look forward to welcoming
you at our stand
The Annual Hotel
Conference 2015
14th & 15th October 2015, Hilton Manchester Deansgate
Connect & Communicate
Running for the 12th year and attracting 800
delegates, The AHC is the leading event for
the UK hotel industry.
Join independent hoteliers, owners, operators and managers as well
as investors, developers, designers, architects, consultants, tourism
leaders and regional tourist board representatives for a day and a half
of unrivalled practical knowledge designed to add real value to your
business operations.
See Apurva Pratap,
IHG’s Vice President of
Distribution & Commercial
Marketing for Europe
at the opening plenary
session, 3:15pm on
14th October
• The Programme – themes including Branding, Disrupters, OTAs,
Technology and Finance to name only a few.
• AHC Social – an ambient zone with food and drinks served all day.
• AHC Innovate – a zone that brings technology and integrated guest
services together.
• AHC Connect – a zone that ties in with the new dedicated social
media platform of AHC Connect. Delegates and sponsors can take a
break, grab a bite to eat, meet up with peers and catch up with emails
throughout the 2 days.

EVENTS
Events… Dates for your diary
IHG ® will be hosting a series of roadshows and briefings across the region over the next few months, presenting
owners and operators with key messages and the strategy for growth going forward. IHG will also have a presence
at major conferences in the calendar during this busy season. We look forward to seeing you soon.
Upcoming Events
London, 7-8 July 30 September 5-7 October
✓
Conference:
Serviced
Apartment
Summit, London
IHG Poland
Investor
Lunch,
Warsaw
Conference:
Expo Real,
Munich
8 October 14-15 October 26-28 October
IHG France
Investor Lunch,
Paris
Conference:
Annual Hotel
Conference,
Manchester
Conference:
RHIC,
Moscow
3-4 November 23 November 24-25 November
Conference:
Deloitte 27th
European Hotel
Investment
Conference,
London
IHG UK&I
Breakfast
Briefing,
London
Conference:
Hotel & Tourism
Trends Poland &
Central Europe,
Warsaw
45

INTERVIEW

INTERVIEW
“
“
When I go on site I am the IHG ® ambassador
which is all about creating a buzz.
A Day in the Life of…
Gilles Goasdoué
Gilles Goasdoué is the Director of Hotel Openings Performance & Support, Europe. Born in Digne les Bains, France, he moved
to the UK 28 years ago and worked briefly as a waiter before moving into an auditing role at InterContinental ® London Park Lane.
Gilles’ contribution to IHG ® has been exceptional. Before joining the Development, Design & Openings (DD&O) department he
led the UK&I franchising team, establishing a highly valued and recognised team of professionals and many of the foundations
of what became Hotel Performance Support (HPS). Since joining DD&O in 2009 Gilles has developed the New Hotel Openings
(NHOP) team to become a group of highly talented individuals with a passion for delivering Great Hotels Guests Love.
Gilles will shortly hand the leadership baton over to a new Head of Hotel Openings while he continues to support the NHOP
field team, acting as a rapid response team member to support hotels during peak periods. As part of his day job, Gilles has
travelled to nearly 50 countries around the world. Here he tells us a little more about his day-to-day life and career with IHG.
I normally get up extremely early in the morning and arrive in the
office about 7:00am. I like to make the most of the day. After I’ve
caught up on the night’s emails, the questions start flooding in from
either the Hotel Openings team in the field or new hotels that we are
looking after.
My days in the office are quite rare at the moment because we are
opening so many projects in Europe. I have been travelling for the
last 15-20 years, so you get used to it. I might be in the head office in
Denham for one or two weeks and then back on the road for another
eight weeks. One of my roles at IHG was installing Holidex all around
the world, from Sydney to Chicago to Thailand, which was fantastic.
I don’t have the restrictions of a family, so am pretty mobile. Although
it can be difficult to maintain a social life. I can’t just join a club and
play badminton every Tuesday night because I won’t be there half
the time. It is challenging, but it is a way of life. I wouldn’t change it.
I love my job. I have what I call the hospitality virus. When you work in
hospitality, you catch it and then you have it forever!
I have never really wanted to be anything else. As a child I used to
spend a lot of time in the kitchen with my mother who was a talented
cook. I was always fascinated by hospitality. Whenever I went out to
eat with my family, I was always interested in the waiting staff and
service behind the experience. I suppose the people element of the
job has always interested me.
Pretty much my entire working life has been with IHG, from working as
a young boy at the InterContinental London Park Lane as an accountant
to being General Manager at a Holiday Inn Express ® near Northampton
aged 25, to Global Technology in the corporate office to my role now in
Hotel Openings. My job is very varied, which keeps it fresh. I always say
it’s a bit like being a General Practitioner. We do a bit of everything and
we get the specialists in when we need them.
My job sector is very much a people business. We deal with varied
personalities which makes the job very interesting. We deal with a
lot of people here at a corporate level and then with the people at
the hotels from the GM to frontline staff. I love this part of the job
because it is interesting to hear their different perspectives. When
I go on site I am the IHG ambassador which is all about creating a
buzz and ensuring everyone understands the benefits of joining IHG,
from our system size to our brands to the amount of business they
will drive.
I tend to go to bed around 10:30pm since I get up so early but I don’t
really have a routine because I don’t know where I’ll be. Luckily I can
function on very few hours of sleep and mostly catch up on sleep on
planes. Tips for sleeping on planes? It sounds boring, but change
your watch to your destination time, don’t eat anything and drink a lot
of water. At home I switch off my mind by baking and messing around
in the kitchen, which I suppose is where my interest in hospitality
really stemmed from as a child all those years ago.
47

INFOGRAPHIC
$10m
Contribution
to communities
through monetary
donations and in-kind
support, including
through IHG ® Shelter
in a Storm*
20,000
The
number
of local people
we'll provide skills
and jobs for via
the IHG ® Academy*
796
12%
Reduction in water*
per occupied room
in water-stressed areas
18
The number of
natural disasters
IHG ® Shelter
in a Storm
responded
to in 2014
100%
IHG ® Academy
programmes in
more than 60
countries as of
May 2015
The percentage our
hotels enrolled in the
IHG Green Engage ®
online sustainability
system
12%
Reduction in carbon
footprint* per
available room
$92m
The costs that IHG managed hotels
avoided by participating in the IHG
Green Engage ® system in 2014
Being a responsible business is part of IHG’s DNA and is at the heart of everything we do – it is
part of our culture and underpins our entire strategy. It means making a positive impact on the
world around us, while also building our business and provides us with the opportunity to protect
the environment, create job opportunities, and improve community resilience. As a result our
brand reputation gets a boost, our people are empowered and we operate more efficiently,
thereby creating value for all our shareholders and stakeholders in the long term. In 2013 IHG
set targets to measure our impact on the environment and community and we’re well on the
way to achieving these targets.
*Target by 2017 from 2012 baseline
48

WHO WE ARE
Hogarth & Ogilvy manages multi-language design and production services across print, digital and broadcast.
We are a team of production-oriented designers, producers and project managers who concentrate on
fast-turn, high-volume and tactical creative assignments.
DIGITAL
PRINT
&
EXHIBITION
TRANSCREATION
&
CONCEPTS
MOVING IMAGE
&
PRESENTATIONS
INFOGRAPHICS
&
Bringing ideas to life
hogarth-ogilvy.com
CONTACTS – Project Director jackie.winter@hogarth-ogilvy.com | Project Manager tracey.gibbins@hogarth-ogilvy.com

CONTACTS
Robert Shepherd
Chief Development Officer, Europe
Tel: +44 1895 512 173
robert.shepherd@ihg.com
Philippe Bijaoui
Vice President Development, Europe
Tel: +44 1895 512 976
philippe.bijaoui@ihg.com
Karan Khanna
Vice President, Head of Design & Engineering, Europe
Tel: +44 1895 512 791
karan.khanna@ihg.com
Paul Phillips
Vice President Financial Planning & Investment Analysis, Europe
Tel: +44 1895 512679
paul.phillips@ihg.com
Gilles Goasdoué
Director of Hotel Openings Performance & Support, Europe
Tel: +44 1895 512 058
gilles.goasdoue@ihg.com
InterContinental Hotels Group plc
Broadwater Park, Denham, Buckinghamshire, UB9 5HR, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 1895 512 000
We would love to hear from you!
Please direct any thoughts, suggestions or advertising enquiries to europedevelopment@ihg.com