HadesNL

They emulate parts of it but then more of being a copy then an innovator.
And is the American party mindset not more swingy flashy compared to the French one

RitzCarlton Osaka and IC PLG are similair elegant hotels with ditto lounges.
Hilton Singapore and IC Miami are equal bed factories that do the job

Within brands there are so much more inconsistencies in local standards that comparison is impossible

nicolas75

I really like too the Six Senses brand (and my next summer holiday will be partly in a Six Senses hotel...).

I also like that the brand will offer soon urban hotels (London, Rome but unfortunately no longer NYC), as I am more of an urban traveller.

I wish the integration into IHG was faster (as I would just stay at a Relais & Chateaux or American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts if I don't have Royal Ambassador benefits).



I'll be less harsh than you on Regent: all my stays there have been fantastic because of the level of service (which is the first reason I stay at a hotel, beyond the more or less fancy design).

The Regent Taipei for example may not be as innovative in terms of design as the one in Phu Quoc, but this hotel is an institution, with impeccable service (beyond the spacious and elegant rooms, the rooftop pool, the great restaurants).

The development of luxury hotels is complicated, due to the sheer number of limited locations in the most sought-after cities (and the larger number of players in the sector than 10 years ago).

With Asia growing strongly, it is hardly surprising to have openings in this area.

Regarding the logo, I am indeed surprised to see the old logo on some hotels (although it didn't spoil any of my stays).



The Belmond Miraflores Park is obviously not the most beautiful property of the chain (but the service is just perfect), the Park Hyatt hotels in Hamburg and Zurich deserve a much needed renovation, I love the Four Seasons in Milan and Prague but would not mind if they could renovate their rooms, etc.

Having said that, there are very few InterContinental hotels that should leave the chain: I certainly wouldn't call the InterContinental Chicago a dump (I really like the suites in the Historic Tower and the superb indoor pool).

The soft renovation of the Semiramis Cairo is very solid. Also, I love the atmosphere of the club lounge.

But most of all, I was very impressed by the concierge team who was able to find me two bicycles on a Sunday (by reopening a car park that rented bicycles, but was closed that day!).

But also who waived the fitness fees for a month that I had taken for a friend before I arrived in the city (he was on a government mission and did not have a fitness centre in his residence).





Vignette is indeed a mystery and its launch seems chaotic.

With the opening of the lovely Casa da Companhia Hotel in Porto and the Wien Grand Hôtel (I will be there soon), let's hope that this brand will be able to offer properties with character (and will offer interesting benefits for Royal Ambassadors!).



I also really like Kimpton (not Palomar or Monaco ones).
To accelerate its development, Kimpton could incorporate properties in cities where IHG is notoriously weak (Louis hotel in Munich, Sir Nikolaï in Hamburg, Boho or Emblem Hotel in Prague, etc.).

khabah

Focusing on these points here:

• I'm generally in full agreement with everything you said above.
• I also wish IHG did a faster job integrating Six Senses, and make it mandatory for all properties carrying the brand to participate in the rewards program. What's the point of acquiring a brand if you're not going to make it appealing or compelling for members to be rewarded at when your program is such a big part of your offering?
• I'm harsh on Regent because it's a brand that has a lot of resonance with me, and I think the best brands are ones where you see a clear sense of identity - just look at Four Seasons [neutral tones, top-end finishings, signature bedding that's the same across all their hotels], Le Méridien [mid-century modern aesthetic, signature programs like Sparkling cocktails and bossa nova soundtracks piped into the properties] and Canopy by Hilton [where all hotels have canopy designs over their beds, modern-industrial designs and neighborhood theming]. Regent Berlin, Taipei - I don't disagree for a moment that these are iconic properties that are probably well-run, but Regent is meant to be IHG's top-end luxury jewel, and the one brand that makes them compete with the St. Regis, Ritz-Carlton and Rosewood hotels of the world. IHG has also gone to lengths to define Regent as modern luxury at the highest standard for a younger traveler than you'd usually find at competitors and so far, I'm not getting that vibe from 50+ percent of their portfolio. I bring up the logo because it once again feeds into the brand identity and what the offering is supposed to present. Trust me, I truly want to see Regent flourish because it is a strong name, has so much history and deserves only the best efforts.
• Some of the ICs I mentioned are also emblematic properties - I agree with you re Chicago's gorgeous historic pool, for instance - but the Semiramis in Cairo hasn't been properly touched since I lived in Cairo in the early 2000s, and I don't understand how you can hire Tony Chi to craft a sensual, moody lobby that sets one tone but then the rooms and facilities set another. It's that kind of inconsistency that I see across the brand that needs further refinement, and stronger enforcement of brand standards from IHG to owners.
• Vignette is a sh_t show, and I'm really surprised IHG has managed to screw it up so much given the years of work they've put into it; "chaotic" is a good word for its launch. I hope some other properties will give the brand some credit and actually make it achieve the entry-level luxury its promising because so far, NO.
• Agree with you re the Palomar and Monaco Kimptons - those are relics of a different time. The new Kimptons in Washington DC, Paris, Bangkok and Bozeman all look really good, and this is a brand I want to see more of internationally either as takeovers or new-builds... but again, Kimpton is a brand that needs better promotion from IHG for greater market recognition beyond North America.

khabah

IAMORGAN

Was about to say, I found the service at the IC Vienna better than the RC Vienna. I know the IC is tired.

I think IC is a fairly consistent brand whereas Crowne Plaza is a lottery.

Hotel Indigo, in Europe at least, is one of my favourite brands.

born sleepy

Having just completed a 4-week business stay at the CP Tel Aviv Azrieli City Center, this is quite the understatement.

The good:

• It's in a great location, walking distance to many good restaurants, and there's usually plenty of e-scooters around for longer trips if you don't want to shvitz like a shlepper in the swampy summer weather
• It's attached to a bustling shopping mall, handy if you forgot something (or when some jerk steals your not-cheap flipflops at a Dead Sea beach)
• There's a supermarket across from the hotel entry that also sells beer, wine, and spirits, but it closes at 3pm Friday and does not reopen until Sunday morning. Plan ahead!
• There's now a large open-air bar and mobile kitchen operation on the ground level outside the hotel, which has pretty good food and is open on Shabbat. Oddly, the bar does not accept AmEx, but the kitchens do
• The TLV HaShalom train station is a short walk through the mall. I needed to go to Rehovot every day, and renting a car was out of the question; TLV traffic is horrific, and the rate was so high that Concur would not allow me to book one, so easy train access was nice
• As IHG Diamond I got lounge access and a somewhat bigger corner room; the lounge has free beer, cheap wine, a small assortment of boozes, mineral water and soft drinks. The food offerings are kosher, so lots of cheese, fish, pickles, fresh veg, nuts, and sweets.
• Bed was decently comfortable
• There's a shuttle to the beach CP every two hours, but the beaches there are always packed; I'd suggest getting an e-scooter and riding down the bike path south where the beaches are far less crowded than those on hotel row
• Wifi is now wide open; in the past you had to get access codes that worked for random lengths of time, and was always a queue for these at the front desk

The bad:

• Due to the positives, there's little incentive to renovate this tired place
• The rooms have not been updated in the ten years I've been going to this property
• It's very noisy due to the trains and the child-care business down on the lower level, and some idiot was screaming into an outdor PA system more than once early in the morning
• Every room I've stayed in had a shower stall that leaked all over the floor, so you have to sop it up after use. You'd think this would have been addressed at some point... no apparent water damage to the floor, so I guess there's no incentive to fix it
• If they catch you sneaking anything out of the lounge, be prepared for a scolding. Really?
• I did not eat at the hotel restaurant this trip. It was expensive and not very interesting in the past
• Housekeeping is hilariously inconsistent. I had to invade the central stores for towels, tissues, etc. This area was dirty and smelly and surprisingly not infested with vermin (that I could see anyway)
• As a Plat I was refused access to the lounge in prior stays. Maybe this has changed

"Well, if it's so bad, why do you keep going?" because we're required to stay there due to a hefty corporate discount.

This property badly needs a renovation and a power-wash, but it's unlikely to happen any time soon. They don't seem to have any problem with occupancy.