Does anyone know anything about the IHG design standards? Like how often do they have to rennovate, or at least change the curtains and beds?

I am looking at all the HI/HIX hotels in London, and most of them have either really old looking rooms or are extremely spartan. The 3 Holiday Inns that have newer looking interiors do not even have all the same design elements. The new HI on Commercial Road looks nice, and the other new HI Stratford by the Olympic park is using the same design but is missing the wooden television piece, so the TV is just mounted to the wall very plainly. It looks unfinished. Nearly 2 years after the Olympics you'd think they would have everything in place. HI Wembley looks like it will be a good option when its renovation is complete. There are very few HIX with the darker, more modern rooms. All of those are not exactly in central London however.

In a city with a large tourist economy how could IHG let their properties be so inconsistent? They have so many properties in central London but none are really spectacular (or even that modern). Are they just too busy to close for refurb? I have been very happy with IHG but this inconsistency, especially in a key city, really disappoints me.