IHG has just rolled out a brand refresh, with a new logo and branding changes. While you might notice the change in the logo, the brand changes are something that might just pass you by.
Apart from new names and a new logo, nothing else is changing. It all remains pretty much as is.
The changes
The name
Firstly, the name. It moves from just IHG to IHG Hotels & Resorts. According to IHG this reflects that is now a hotelier that has 16 separate brands that sit beside each other as a family.
In fact, IHG Hotels and Resorts now total 16 brands. These have been grouped into four collections as follows
The Luxury and Lifestyle Collection
- Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas
- Regent Hotels and Resorts
- Intercontinental Hotels and Resorts
- Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants
- Hotel Indigo
The Premium Collection
- Hualuxe Hotels and Resorts
- Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts
- Even Hotels
- Voco Hotels
The Essentials Collection
- Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts
- Holiday Inn Express
- Avid hotels
The Suites Collection
- Atwell Suites
- Staybridge Suites
- Holiday Inn Club Vacations
- Candlewood Suites
The Visuals
Secondly, the logo. A new name needs a new logo, so IHG will be retiring its existing logo, with a new, updated logo that reflects its new name.
IHG says that the new visual brand identity will “better tell the stories of the brand and make it more relevant and attractive to consumers – particularly a younger demographic of consumers, as well as hotel owners, colleagues and future talent around the world”.
The Loyalty Program
Finally, the name of the loyalty program is being modified. It is losing its ‘Club’ designation, and will now be known simply as IHG Rewards. This is to reflect “to reflect the warm welcome that is available to all”.
I guess it inherited the ‘club’ part from when Priority Club was reborn as IHG Rewards Club.
Thoughts
I know it’s not much but I am on board with these changes. The previous orange IHG logo never really did it for me, but I do like the new one.
Still, at the end of the day, it’s all cosmetics. How we interact with the hotels and the rewards program won’t change.