In conversation with Tom Rowntree, VP Global Marketing for Luxury Brands at IHG (Exclusive Interview)

IHG’s luxury brands have been gathering momentum with some landmark openings in 2023. 

Travel is back and, with that, we are seeing IHG Hotels & Resorts’ luxury and lifestyle brand portfolio continue to experience tremendous growth. The category represents 13% of IHG’s system size and 20% of the pipeline. We’re excited to grow this collection of brands even further – with 310 hotels in the global pipeline, which represents a 68% increase in portfolio size. We have an exciting line-up of hotels poised to open this year, including InterContinental Rome Ambasciatori Palace, Regent Hong Kong, Six Senses Crans Montana, two Kimpton properties in Mexico City and notably, Carlton Cannes, A Regent Hotel which opens on March 13. 

Regent Hotels & Resorts has been undergoing a rebranding process. How is the brand positioned in the luxury sector? 

Regent Hotels & Resorts joined IHG Hotels & Resorts in 2018, and the upper luxury brand has a deep heritage and revered legacy in luxury hospitality. We have since been working to reimagine a new era for Regent. 

Regent’s founders set out to redefine luxury travel in 1970, crafting a legendary brand with bold firsts that would become the benchmark in modern upper luxury for the next half-century that continue on today. The brand was a pioneer in hotel design and was often the first to bring new experiences to the luxury traveller that had never been done before, such as offer private villas with pools, sunken bathtubs and five-point bathroom suites in every guestroom. 

With a 50-year legacy of innovation, extraordinary views, landmark destinations and exceptional service, Regent is returning to reimagine and set a new benchmark in luxury once again, with a long-term vision to open 40 hotels in key global gateway cities with a vision to bring Regent to key global gateway cities and resort locations around the world. Regent Phu Quoc in Vietnam opened last April, becoming the first new-build Regent to open following the brand’s new approach, and this year we will open properties in Hong Kong and Bali in addition to the much-anticipated Carlton Cannes, A Regent Hotel this month. 

What is the main criteria for a luxury hotel property to be affiliated under Regent Hotels & Resorts? 

Regent Hotels & Resorts craft the most refined experiences for modern trendsetters. Properties seamlessly blend design and service, offering stays inspired by serenity and stimulation – the types of experiences that spark stories and beguile even the most seasoned of travellers. 

Our hotels bring to life Regent’s new brand hallmarks and new design philosophy, which celebrates the beauty of contrasts. Each is thoughtfully and unexpectedly woven into the experience, allowing guests to feel the noise fade away and their senses uplifted. For instance, Personal Havens, a distinctive new hallmark, are beautifully inviting physical spaces intuitively located to inspire guests to pause, reflect and recharge. They come to life as breathtaking outdoor spaces, the indulgence of a bathroom oasis or an intimate corner of seclusion in a guest room.

For example, at Carlton Cannes, A Regent Hotel, guests will discover that, at the end of the iconic pontoon, the swing comes with sunrise and sundown cocktails made to be had while swinging. The property’s rooms and suites with panoramic sea views from the iconic three-window alcove will offer an on-demand selection of books inspired by sea views and seafaring. Another exciting new brand hallmark debuted last year – Regent Taste Studio, which is a multisensory dining experience blending culinary talent with artists across creative disciplines that will traverse the globe at Regent Hotels & Resorts. 

Outside the U.S., especially in Europe, Kimpton Hotels are predominantly luxury positioned. Are you maintaining the same approach for other regions? 

IHG Hotels & Resorts acquired Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants in 2015 in response to luxury travellers’ growing desire for unique and personalised experiences. With the scale and scope of IHG behind the brand, Kimpton’s vision is reaching more places around the world while simultaneously enabling heartfelt human connections that are brought to life through personalised service style and touches. 

The opening of Kimpton De Witt in Amsterdam in 2017 marked the first Kimpton outside the US. Since then, we’ve grown the luxury boutique brand to a total of 31 signed and opened hotels outside the US. Beyond Europe, recent milestones include the openings of Kimpton Kitalay Samui, the brand’s first resort in South East Asia that occupies a quiet beachfront cove of Koh Samui’s Choengmon Beach;

Kimpton Margot Sydney, one of the city’s most anticipated developments of the decade that’s housed in a heritage-listed Art Deco building; and Kimpton Bamboo Grove Suzhou, which marked the brand’s debut in Mainland China and meets a growing demand in the region for high-quality travel and tailored experiences. We are excited to further grow Kimpton’s international presence in the coming years in destinations like Bali later this year, Mexico City, Shanghai, Honduras and the Netherlands.

The recently launched Vignette Collection has been shaping up with a chain a high calibre properties. What is the progress? What type of properties fit the brand? 

Vignette Collection is the latest addition to our luxury and lifestyle portfolio and the brand is blossoming since its launch in August 2021. We have five hotels currently welcoming guests, 12 in the pipeline, and we anticpate more than 100 properties globally will join the collection over the next 10 years. 

We most recently celebrated the debut of Vignette Collection in the Americas with the opening of Yours Truly DC in Washington, D.C., and our future openings span from El Gran Encomendero in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and Carlton Al Moaibed Hotel in Saudi Arabia to House of Chinhara in Zimbabwe and RIHGA Royal Hotel Osaka in Japan. 

Vignette Collection is a family of distinct luxury hotels connected by a shared vision that travel can benefit local people and places. We seek out diverse hotels with distinctly enriching experiences. Each hotel infuses unexpected moments into the experience, known as ‘Memorable Rituals,’ which add a ‘special something’ to remember every stay.

For instance, at Sindhorn Midtown Hotel Bangkok younger guests can call the Emergency Popsicle Line to receive a complimentary iced treat. At Vignette Collection’s core is the belief that travel should champion everyone, and each hotel that joins the collection chooses a ‘Means for Good’ to uplift its local community, like The Yours Truly Small Business Collective that supports neighbouring small businesses and encourages guests to shop locally while in town. 

To what extent the expansion of your luxury hotel brands is done through franchising versus long-term third-party management agreements? 

IHG is an asset light organisation, meaning we invest in our brands and partner with owners with a predominately managed and franchised model. The majority of our luxury hotels are managed, though we do have franchise partnerships with InterContinental in certain locations with owners who have the right expertise and infrastructure. 

Are there any regions you are targeting in particular – where IHG’s luxury pole may be under-represented? 

We’ve transformed our brand portfolio in recent years to make IHG Hotels & Resorts’ luxury and lifestyle collection one of the largest in the industry, building incredibly exciting destinations – from the iconic Carlton Cannes on the French Riviera becoming a Regent, to our first Kimpton opening in Mainland China. IHG is currently experiencing strong momentum with our luxury and lifestyle portfolio in the Americas, which we anticipate will only continue to grow.

We have new Six Senses properties coming to the Bahamas and Napa Valley; beautiful InterContinental Hotels and resorts are poised for Dominica, Grenada and Bellevue, Washington; and we recently opened our very first Americas Vignette Collection hotel in Washington, D.C.

Has the perception of luxury been altered in any way?  Post pandemic, has your luxury consumer changed? Time of booking, length of stay, type of accommodation, etc.? 

Luxury, and what it means to consumers, continually changes and adapts. The affluent guest is increasingly seeking out more meaningful and transformative personalised experiences. We’re also now seeing luxury travellers and wealthy digital nomads becoming much more purposeful with their time. They are travelling to fully integrate work with pleasure, looking to land somewhere for longer. 

This ongoing rejuvenation of the meaning behind luxury, paired with the ever-evolving purpose behind why people travel, puts IHG Hotels & Resorts in a unique position. Influenced by the changing tastes and desires of today’s modern affluent traveller, we have evolved our luxury and lifestyle offering in recent years with the addition of Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas, Regent Hotels & Resorts, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants and Vignette Collection. Our focus is on welcoming guests with inspiring design, delivering bespoke service with intention, and curating meaningful and transformative experiences, all while thoughtfully expanding our portfolio. 

Tell us more about your marketing / communications strategy for IHG’s luxury brands in 2023. 

We’re a company on the move, transforming our portfolio with exciting brands and creating richer experiences to become a truly customer-centric organisation – all under a fresh Masterbrand. In 2021, we changed from IHG to IHG Hotels & Resorts, making it absolutely clear that we’re a hotel company with a family of brands to suit every guest. 

We recognise the importance of an integrated approach across marketing and communications campaigns, leveraging data and insights to ensure we’re delivering the right message, to the right customer, at the right time. Through our Guest How You Guest Masterbrand campaign, which went live across many of our largest markets on screens, billboards, magazines and more in 2022, we wanted to inspire existing guests while engaging the next generation of travellers. This same ethos has been applied to the latest campaigns and activations for our luxury brands. 

Building on its longstanding heritage, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts continues to refine its ethos of discovery and modern luxury. Setting the tone for the future of luxury travel for the next generation is a fresh approach to the guest experience, with new programs and collaborations, such as that with celebrated British artist Claire Luxton. Our partnership has explored the beauty of global travel through the natural flora and fauna signature to her work to illustrate the brand’s heritage and far-flung destinations, coming to life through installations, immersive on-property experiences and limited-edition suites as well as entering the metaverse for the first time together with a collection of 10 exclusive NFTs.

Additionally, last year we staged a five day global premiere of Regent Taste Studio in Asia, showcasing an example of what Taste Studio as a brand hallmark is like when it activates on-property.  Featuring Regent Phu Quoc chefs in collaboration with world-renowned visual artist Mr. Dripping, the experience was designed to create a truly memorable moment for all who attended.

Regent Taste Studio, a new brand hallmark, is a one-of-a-kind interactive dining experience that brings together creative talent from the worlds of art, design, fashion and gastronomy to go beyond fine dining and create true multisensory culinary moments. The concept was created to appeal to the most discerning guests – globetrotters and tastemakers who appreciate design and craftmanship and seek deeply sensorial experiences rooted in authenticity. Regent Taste Studio will come to life on-property to provide elevated dining experiences in addition to popping up in unexpected locations across the globe in the future. 

Throughout 2023, our focus remains on driving awareness of the breadth of our luxury and lifestyle portfolio globally and continuing to showcase our expertise in the sector – aligning with the right partners and create meaningful moments that spark conversation in unexpected and surprising ways amongst owners, existing guests and the modern luxury traveller

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