Skift presents its
analysis of IHG brands (forgetting to mention the IHG x Mr and Mrs Smith partnership).
I'm not sure that brand analysis is always relevant.
InterContinnetal
Its competitors are Grand Hyatt, W Hotels, JW Marriott, and Ritz-Carlton
Is W really a competitor to InterContinental?
Vignette
Considering the hotels currently under this brand, neither the Vignette in Brisbane nor the one in Bangkok are uber luxurious hotels.
Grand Hôtel Vienna might be different.
Kimpton
IHG’s partners have invested in fresh rethinkings of some properties, such as Kimpton Saint George (Toronto) and Kimpton Banneker (D.C.), but we worry that IHG hasn’t been giving enough support to help this gem of a brand fulfill its full market potential.
I think that on the contrary the purchase by IHG gave the brand a new start: Kimpton hotels before the purchase by IHG were often outdated in terms of design, and the concept had lost its strength.
Indigo
This brand changes each property’s design every five years to maintain its fresh feel, suggesting that it will be “hip” for a long time.
Like many hotel chains, and even if Indigo has made significant improvements since its launch (the horible Indigo Atlanta Downtown and Indigo Dallas come to mind), the quality of the design is often inconsistent, with some elegant properties (Shanghai On the Bund, Hong-Kong, NYC, Vienna, Belgrade, Cagnes-Sur-Mer, Inuyama, Milan, Verona - Grand Hotel Des Arts, Antwerp, Berlin - East Side Gallery, Helsinki - Boulevard), and others much more mediocre.
Voco
Part of Voco’s magic has to do with the opportunity for owners to truly make it their own.
That's the problem, with some very good hotels (voco Hangzhou Binjiang Minghao, The Bank, Johannesburg, The Hague) next to the quickly repolished Holiday Inn like hotels (voco Al Khobar, Podgorica).
Crowne Plaza
IHG removed 90 hotels from Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn in an attempt to maintain profitability. This brand has paid its dues and will stick around so long as the transition back into a bustling, business-oriented world continues.
Crowne Plaza has implemented a major refurbishment programme, and properties that have been renovated or recently opened are of a very good standard. However, the brand still suffers from too many properties, particularly in the US and the Middle East, that are not up to standard.