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Earlier this year, IHG Hotels & Resorts Leanne Harwood appointed operations director The hospitality industry veteran relocated across the globe to Atlanta to take on the role as head of luxury and lifestyle for the Americas, having previously served as senior vice president and managing director for IHG’s Japan, Australasia and Pacific region in Sydney.
In his new role, Harwood will be responsible for driving the growth of IHG’s six luxury and lifestyle brands in the new region: Six Senses, Regent Hotels & Resorts, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants and Vignette Collection. IHG’s Luxury & Lifestyle Division Growing “particularly rapidly” IHG is a wholly owned subsidiary of IHG Holdings, which owns 100% of IHG hotels in the U.S. and Canada.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
HOTEL DIVE: Is there anything uniquely different about luxury and lifestyle hotels in the Americas region?
Leanne Harwood: There’s a lot of similarity. I say that with some relief. No matter where you travel in the world, people are really looking for similar experiences and we’re seeing similar trends across the industry.
Luxury and lifestyle is no longer a specific direction. Even within the luxury and lifestyle sector, it is important to ensure that we offer multiple products and services in different areas.
Leanne Harwood
Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Luxury and Lifestyle Americas, IHG
What I’m probably most pleased about is that there has always been a careful view of positioning our luxury and lifestyle portfolio in the Americas. I’m really pleased to say that the region has some fantastic hotels and properties. For me, coming from so far away in the world, that was a real relief. I guess I expected more of a difference than I experienced.
What is IHG’s luxury and lifestyle strategy in the Americas currently?
We’ve seen pretty rapid growth over the last few years, especially in this space. We’re very conscious of the fact that this is a growth space. We’re continuing to see growth in the top end space. So it’s really important for us to make sure that we have a brand that spans a broad platform within this space. Luxury and lifestyle is no longer a specific direction. It’s important to make sure that we offer multiple products in different areas, even within the luxury and lifestyle space.
For example, if you look at our portfolio, we have a great The InterContinental brand’s rich history For many years we have owned Hotel Indigo, which has delivered a story and lifestyle element to the region. Kimpton a few years agoWe’ve seen great growth across the lifestyle segment. And then we have our luxury division with Regent. And of course, The Sixth SenseAnd now we’re starting to expand with more distinctive brands like Vignette (collection), and in (Americas), we launched our first Vignette in Washington DC with Yours Truly (in 2023). From a company perspective, we’re continually growing and evolving each of these brands across our portfolio, each with their own unique point of difference.
The second point is to stay ahead of consumer and travel trends. Gone are the days when people wanted “ladies and gentlemen” luxury. For true modern luxury“And guests want a more experiential stay in the hotel. They want a seamless, effortless travel experience. (We) strive to deliver the guest experience in a unique way that is appropriate for each brand, but it has to be individualized. People want a bespoke approach, an approach that is appropriate for each brand.” myself As a luxury and lifestyle conscious traveller.
When we talk about personalizing the hotel experience, we often talk about technology. What is IHG doing in that regard?
We work with a great loyalty program that incorporates all of our personal preferences before the guest comes to the resort or hotel, and we also have pre-configured communication pieces to reach out to the guest before they arrive, so we make sure it’s bespoke depending on the brand and the size of the property they’re coming into.
The golden thread that runs through everything we do is loyalty.
Leanne Harwood
Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Luxury and Lifestyle Americas, IHG
We’re rolling out an amazing online system that allows you to choose the features you want in a hotel room, which I think is really exciting. Gone are the days when you choose a hotel room based on whether it has a double bed, a queen size bed, or twin beds. You can choose where the hotel room is located, what the features of that room are, what the view is like, and so on.
Many other hotel companies Luxury and lifestyle also expandingHow is IHG positioning its brand amidst so much competition?
That’s a good point, because there are so many brands out there. For us, the golden thread that runs through everything we do is loyalty. More and more people want to be recognized and rewarded for every stay.
I know there are a few brands doing similar things, but I think each brand is taking a slightly different approach. We developed what we believe to be one of the best apps for hotels, Award-winningThis is really exciting and it positions our brand in a totally different way. Our master brand fits into and is the foundation of everything we do.
Who is the luxury and lifestyle traveller and has the profile changed in recent years?
Yes, we have. IHG has expanded our hotel portfolio to cater to the different travelers that we see. People are now not only traveling for business, but also for leisure. They are taking the opportunity to travel with their partner or family and making the most of it by adding a weekend. There are a lot of business travelers out there who may not always stay at our luxury and lifestyle brands, but they still want to experience it on the weekends. So, the opportunity to leverage our loyalty program is something that we think is key for us.
We think there will always be a segment of the market that wants to stay in a more traditional style hotel. There are also travelers who want to mingle with the cool crowd. It’s completely different from the travelers who want to stay at the new Regent that’s opening in Santa Monica. And let’s not forget Six Senses, where travelers want to go on a wellness journey. I think there are emerging trends for each of these brands.
How does the Vignette Collection fit into this portfolio and how will these Collection hotels be so different while still having a unified brand?
I was really lucky First Vignette launched in Australia We started it a few years ago, and I’ve been really excited to see Vignette really grow over the last few years. It’s happening because people are looking for unique experiences. The thing that ties all of this together is IHG and IHG One Rewards. We bring our sustainability efforts, our commitment to health, life and safety, and making sure that all of our hotels meet international standards. Guests want to arrive at a hotel and feel safe. There’s a sense of security there. You know what you’re getting, but you add a bespoke, designed experience and a personalized approach. I think it’s the best of both worlds.
