BASS is offering Forum properties the opportunity to rebrand to either Holiday Inn or Crowne Plaza after declaring that it has no plans to expand the brand it acquired through its purchase of Inter-Continental Hotels.
Forum is a three-star brand with a 40-strong portfolio internationally, but is very similar to Bass’ Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn brands.
A spokesman for Bass said: “The Forum brand will be held in its current state and we are not facilitating its growth at this time.
“The opportunity to rebrand is being discussed but owners will not be made to change if they do not want to.”
She added that contracts with hoteliers would still be honoured but no more would be signed.
The change of focus comes as Bass announced its interim results for the six months to March 31 this year, in which Inter-Continental made a significant impact. Twelve new management contracts have been signed since the purchase.
Inter-Continental made £36.26m profit in the six months before the takeover, but this figure was up 43% following the acquisition.
Operating profit for Bass hotels and resorts for the first half of 1999 totalled £134.4m against £83.1m in 1998, with £51.9m of the figure coming from Inter-Continental business. Figures also showed that owned and leased properties generated about 70% of the profit before overheads. revenue per available room here was up by 8.9% and average room rates were 5.6% up on the first half of 1998.