New premium brand planned by InterContinental Hotels Group

A new premium brand is to be introduced by InterContinental Hotels Group.

 

The disclosure from the global hotels giant came as part of a trading update for the third quarter of the year, with global revenue per available room (revpar) up 1.4% in the year to date.

 

IHG chief executive Elie Maalouf revealed “slower trading conditions” in the US was being countered by a strong performance in Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia (EMEAA) and further improvement in Greater China.

 

The parent company of multiple brands such as Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza said: “Whilst the US continued to see some slower trading conditions, we remain confident for the return to growth in due course when economic uncertainty further subsides and the travel industry’s fundamental tailwinds prevail.”

    

The new brand “within the large, fast-growing premium segment” will emerge in the coming months, positioned in upscale to upper upscale arena, according to IHG.

 

It will initially focus on the EMEAA region “where there is a significant proportion of high-quality hotels with their own unique identity, and where a collection brand will expand our offer for guests and allow more owners to benefit from our enterprise platform”. 

 

The company added: “The brand will complement our versatile premium conversion brand, voco, which has already reached 225 open and pipeline hotels across more than 30 countries since its launch in 2018. 

 

“It will also look to replicate the success of Vignette Collection, launched in 2021, which is positioned higher in the luxury and lifestyle category and already tracking ahead of its goal to reach 100 hotels in a decade, currently with 27 open and a further 41 pipeline properties.”

 

Maalouf said: ”We are pleased with our performance and the continued growth of our brands to date in 2025, and we remain on track to meet full year consensus profit and earnings expectations. 

 

"As anticipated, revpar growth in Q3 was similar to the prior quarter, with another strong performance in EMEAA and further improvement in Greater China, though the US continued to see slower trading conditions. Overall, we continue to benefit from the power of our globally diverse footprint.

 

“Growing demand for our world class brands continues, with 2025 set to be one of our biggest ever years for both openings and signings.

 

“Recognising strong guest and owner interest in the large and fast-growing premium segment, we are excited to announce we will be bringing a new collection brand to market in the coming months, positioned in upscale to upper upscale. 

 

"This will build on the well-established successes we’ve already delivered with our other collection and conversion brands - Vignette, voco and Garner.”

 

He added: “Long-term structural drivers of both travel demand and supply remain compelling, and while near-term macro-economic challenges persist in some markets, others are showing improvement or sustained growth. 

 

“We continue to demonstrate IHG’s ability to capture demand across geographies, chain scales and stay occasions, which forms the foundation of resilient strength in our business. We remain confident in a strong outcome for the year and further delivery beyond."