IHG to launch new China brand shortly
11 January 2012
Jan Smits, chief executive of the Asia, Middle East & Africa operations at InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), has revealed the company plans to launch its new China brand in the next six months.
In an interview with news wire Dow Jones, Smits said it had so far had a positive response to the brand.
"We have spent quite a long time trying to understand what the domestic Chinese traveller wanted. There's obviously a lot of interest in a domestically-grown brand that has got the benefit of a large international system behind it. Owners have shown significant interest," he said.
IHG currently has around 160 hotels in China, plus 140 more in the pipeline.
The company revealed in October that it had already signed 12 contracts under the new brand, which was originally expected to launch late 2012 or early 2013.
It first announced plans to launch the brand in February 2011, describing the brand as an upper midscale brand to be positioned between IHG’s upscale chain Crowne Plaza and luxury brand InterContinental.
In addition to the China brand, IHG is also set to add another mid-market brand in the U.S.
