IHG Hotels and Resorts hit a new milestone this week of 6,000 open hotels globally.
Marking the occasion at the New York Stock Exchange on June 7, IHG CEO, Keith Barr, rang the bell to signal the close of trading. He was joined by local hotel General Managers and colleagues to celebrate the achievement.
“I’m incredibly proud of our IHG Hotels and Resorts teams for reaching a milestone of 6,000 hotels open around the world, and would like to thank our owners for their collaboration and our guests for their love and trust in our brands,” Barr said.
“Every single property we open is a cause for celebration as we offer guests unrivalled experiences in amazing locations and give owners even more reasons to work with us.”
The hospitality company also took the opportunity to launch a new rewards initiative, the 6,000 Club, through which select guests can win 6,000 IHG One Rewards points when booking with a collection of its new hotels.
Kimpton Margot Sydney (Australia), Hotel Indigo Inuyama Urakuen Garden (Japan), Six Senses Fort Barwara (India), voco The Hague (the Netherlands) and Staybridge Suites Al Khobar City (Saudi Arabia) are among the hotels participating in the 6000 Club.
The company also announced a number of sports and entertainment partnerships for IHG One Rewards including Major League Soccer, European Professional Club Rugby and music festivals across the US and UK.
“Our new partnerships will connect more of our IHG One Rewards members with memorable moments as travel continues to return,” Barr said.
In the past five years, IHG has welcomed six brands to further diversify its portfolio including luxury and lifestyle brands Six Senses, Regent and Vignette Collection; premium brand voco hotels, essentials offering Avid hotels; and suites brand Atwell Suites.
In Australasia, IHG officially opened the world’s first Vignette Collection, Hotel X Brisbane Fortitude Valley, and the world’s first voco hotel on the Gold Coast in 2018.
IHG is set to grow its portfolio by a further 30% over the next five years, with more than 1,800 hotels already signed in its development pipeline, including more than 29 in Australasia.
“With over 1,800 hotels in our pipeline, I’m looking forward to IHG’s next chapter of growth and celebrating plenty more milestones to come,” Barr added.
IHG will open Australia’s second Hotel Indigo – Hotel Indigo Brisbane City Centre – in July, followed by the highly-anticipated InterContinental Sorrento Mornington Peninsula in August. By the end of the year, InterContinental Lifou Wadra Bay is also expected to open.
Regional growth is also high on the agenda with Holiday Inn Dandenong to open in December, with Holiday Inn & Suites Geelong and Wagga Wagga to follow. IHG also signed its first property on the NSW South Coast in May, Crowne Plaza Shell Cove Marina, which is due to open in 2025.