On the heels of Holiday Inn’s 60th anniversary, IHG is promising more distinctive positioning for each of the four brands in the Holiday Inn brand family, brand leadership said this week at the 2012 IHG Americas Investors & Leadership Conference in Orlando, Florida.
IHG created a “brand essence statement” for each of the Holiday Inn brands — Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn Resort and Holiday Inn Club Vacations. These statements are not slogans and will not be shared with consumers, explained Verchele Wiggins, vice president, global brand management, for the Holiday Inn family of brands, but are nevertheless crucial internally. “They are our True North,” Wiggins said of the statements.
Holiday Inn
The core Holiday Inn brand is focused on the idea of “innovative comfort,” Wiggins said — “comfort that’s delivered in a way that’s new yet familiar and relevant.” The brand will focus on both physical and emotional comfort in areas including design and communications, with a new advertising campaign specifically for Holiday Inn slated to debut in 2013.
Other upcoming potential changes for the Holiday Inn brand include streamlined brand standards, a new global meetings proposition aimed at growing meetings business, a new global F&B strategy aimed at improving consistency and an open lobby concept based on learnings from the Hub at Holiday Inn initiative.
Holiday Inn Express
Given that Holiday Inn is focused on the idea of engaging efficiency, Wiggins said, the brand is relaunching its “Stay Smart” advertising campaign, with TV ads centered on characters who appear deceptively smart until they deliver the punch line, “No, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.”
In addition to new TV ads, the brand will debut new collateral and employee training offered as an e-learning option at no cost to owners. Holiday Inn Express also will test initiatives such as “Stay Smart” check-in that will allow guests to bypass the front desk.
Holiday Inn Resort
The brand essence statement for Holiday Inn Resort is “effortless relaxation.” Wiggins said dedicated advertising as well as a new website are on the horizon for the brand, which has opened three properties in the last 12 months, with two more in the pipeline.
Holiday Inn Club Vacations
Holiday Inn Club Vacations is built around the notion of a vacation home, promising guests access to a range of vacation options with the option of ownership. Founded in 2008 with four properties, brand leadership said today the portfolio includes nine properties, with a 10th — in Galveston, Texas — expected to open later this year. The goal, according to brand leaders, is to add locations in Hawaii and elsewhere on the U.S. West Coast going forward.