I wouldn't go all the way to say Crowne Plaza doesn't make sense... but overall, it's a stodgy, outdated brand that doesn't have much cachet, and is woefully inconsistent.

I'll illustrate my point with this: I live in Muscat, and we've got two Crowne Plazas here - one perched atop a cliff with possibly the best views over the city, and the other in the middle of a wasteland earmarked for a masterplanned mixed-use development [assuming it ever happens]. CP MCT redid its lobby, pool deck, exterior and some outdoor spaces, and it's now lovely... but the rooms are boring, old and clash with the modern tone set by the rest of the property. CP OCEC, on the other hand, is a new-build that opened in November 2017 yet feels COMPLETELY anonymous, with no hint of imagination in its interiors other than having a beautifully-designed Thai restaurant; if you're looking for the most generic possible upscale hotel, this is it. CP MCT deserves to carry a much better brand, especially given its location - why it isn't a Kimpton, Le Méridien or Sofitel is beyond me.

And therein lies the issue: IHG is positioning CP as a brand that's business-centric, with the latest brand direction including elements like meeting pods, communal spaces, rooms that are conducive to work and so on. Yet identifying JW Marriott, an entry-level luxury brand [as much as I disagree with that], as a competitor when CP is basically at or just a hair below your usual Marriott/Sheraton/Hilton levels, is delusion and point-blank misrepresentation. IHG needs CONSISTENCY in its portfolio, and needs to do a LOT of work to bring its properties into line. Now that the new CP direction has been out for over a year, why haven't they committed more owners into renovations the way Marriott is forcing its Sheraton franchisees into upgrading their properties to the new Sheraton level or risk being deflagged? One might argue that CP could be done away with entirely, but just as Marriott has managed to breathe new life into Sheraton, IHG should give more of a shxt to CP and ensure a proper brand realignment.

This issue extends further into IHG's portfolio, and here are two key examples in my opinion:

• IHG acquired Regent in 2018, embedded it into the system in 2019, and repositioned it with very clear brand guidelines that will see it take on the St. Regis, Four Seasons and Rosewood hotels of the world with a distinct modern luxury slant, yet more than half of the existing Regent portfolio consists of hotels that are respected but wildly outdated [looking at you, Beijing, Berlin, Singapore and Taipei]. Another issue is that IHG has given Regent a new corporate identity, yet only their hotels in Shanghai and Chongqing use the new branding and details while the others still use the old logos. A small portfolio should be easy to pivot and realign, yet they're taking their time bringing it together.
• Ultimately, one mustn't look further than IHG's flagship InterContinental brand. Some ICs are beautiful and truly luxury-level, but many others [Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco Mark Hopkins, Cairo Semiramis, Cairo Heliopolis, Amman, Montréal, Toronto Centre, Singapore] would barely classify as upscale given their age, service levels, facilities and décor. If the flagship brand and company namesake is itself all over the place, then this lack of care and attention will trickle down the pyramid.

Let me say that all my criticism is coming from a place of care: IHG has some great brands with stories, relatability and sentimentality to me and many other guests. They simply need to have clear, realistic and executable goals to create a portfolio that is distinctive and properly aligned [and a loyalty program that is simpler and actually competitive with the big three, but I digress].

khabah