Loyalty is a funny thing in travel. A recent consumer survey recently found 90% of businesses operate some sort of loyalty program. The same study found people belong to, on average, nearly 15 different programs each. It’s essentially an ingrained human characteristic that if we find something we like, whether it’s a great restaurant, a destination that leaves an indelible mark and especially a hotel that ticks all our boxes. When talking about a holiday with their friends, people hardly ever talk about a product they buy. They talk about their experience.
Authenticity is the primary metric around which luxury hotels are shaping their guest experience nowadays. For many, the aim of indulging in a new culture when travelling is a primary motivator for travel itself and hotels aiming for the luxury market are trying to provide that element of culture, coupled with the most comfortable of surroundings. And those that succeed will create that memorable guest experience that will keep people coming back time and again.
For independent hoteliers, the opportunities to amplify their guest experience messaging has never been easier. In recent years, many of the world’s largest and leading hotel conglomerates have introduced bespoke collection brands under which independent hoteliers can plug into established structures to boost their visibility and performance. Of these though, few focus exclusively on luxury and this is where the newest of these brands, Vignette Collection from IHG Hotels and Resorts, sets itself apart.
The Vignette Collection only launched in August 2021, but it already has two members and most likely the attention of many more eager to join. Along with a property in Thailand, Australia has a member in the form of the recently opened Hotel X in the Brisbane inner-city suburb of Fortitude Valley.
The brand itself is the sixth new label to become part of IHG’s brand portfolio in the past four years and takes the company overall to 17 brands, covering 6,000 hotels in 100 countries.
“Our new Vignette Collection gives IHG a compelling way to welcome world-class independent hotels into our brand family, combining each property’s distinctive identity with the power of our global scale,” said IHG Hotels and Resorts CEO, Keith Barr, speaking at the brand’s launch last month.
“As our first hotels in Australia and Thailand both showcase, each property is as unique as the next, and all will be endorsed by IHG’s trusted reputation for quality.”
Member hotels of the Vignette Collection will already be operating and delivering a high standard of luxury and by joining a collection brand, will be able to retain the branding they have worked hard to establish and maintain.
As part of IHG Hotels and Resorts, members of Vignette Collection will be able to select from IHG’s Responsible Business Commitments including youth empowerment in their local communities and offering skills building, on-site events and volunteering opportunities to their staff. This will align them with IHG’s pledge to improve the lives of 30 million people worldwide by 2030.
Vignette Collection builds further on IHG’s commitment to luxury brands and joins the likes of its flagship InterContinental Hotels and Resorts label and the company’s acquisitions of the Six Senses and Regent Hotels brands. These major movements in the high-end market indicate luxury will be a major part of the company’s ongoing growth for years to come.