15 February 2014

IHG kicks off the celebration of its 30th anniversary in the China market

  • Committed to delivering the best brand experience for its guests and best financial returns for its business partners
  • Industry leading programmes to nurture and develop local talents
  • Actively engaged in social responsibility initiatives

 

Beijing – InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), the first international hotel company to enter the China market in 1984, kicks off the celebration of its 30th anniversary of operating in the country today. To commemorate this momentous milestone, IHG will have a series of exciting celebrations throughout the year, including milestone hotel openings across its wide brand portfolio, the launch of its industry leading talent development programmes as well as various social responsibility activities.

Kenneth Macpherson, Chief Executive, IHG Greater China commented: “It has been a remarkable journey for IHG in China over the past 30 years. As the first international hotel company to enter China, we has achieved significant success in building great brands; attracting, developing and retaining talent; delivering the best returns to our hotel owners and shareholders, as well as running business in a responsible way. We look forward to another exciting few years ahead.” 

IHG established a benchmark for hotels with the opening of its first hotel in China, the Holiday Inn Beijing Lido, back in 1984. Thirty years later, IHG has become the largest international hotel group in Greater China, with nearly 200 hotels open and another 180 hotels in the development pipeline. IHG’s five hotel brands, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts and Holiday Inn Express Hotels, are all leading in their respective market segments meeting various consumer needs. The newest addition, HUALUXE Hotels and Resorts, is the first international luxury hotel brand designed specifically for Chinese consumers, is due to open its first hotel in 2014.

Having created a significant number of jobs in China, with 60,000 employees working in its hotels and offices, IHG is currently the largest employer among all the international hotel companies in the market, and plans to create another 30,000 new jobs by 2015. IHG’s efforts on talent development have been recognised by the industry in the accolades and awards it has received for “Best Employer”. Initially established in China in 2006, the IHG Academy has grown rapidly since its inception and now operates in 37 countries around the globe. In China alone, the current 30 IHG Academies contribute around 5,000 experienced graduates ready to enter the hospitality industry every year. 

As a highly respected business partners, IHG works with many of China’s most influential real estate developers on multi-brand, multi-property projects. Consistently delivering the best investment returns to its hotel owners, one third of IHG’s management contracts are signed with existing owners who want to work with IHG again. The soon-to-open Crowne Plaza Beijing Lido is a perfect example of IHG and Lido extending their partnership. 

IHG also constantly endeavors to give back to the local community and society where it operates. In November 2007, IHG set up the IHG Hope Fund and became a corporate partner of China Youth Development Foundation (CYDF). This transparently managed fund is dedicated to supporting young dropouts in poverty-stricken areas through IHG Hope Schools, vocational education and scholarships for IHG Academy students. The fund is also the first of its kind to engage hotel guests in a worthy cause. In addition, with its industry pioneering environmental protection initiative, Green Engage, IHG aims to measure, improve and reduce energy consumption at its hotels worldwide with the goal of reducing its carbon footprint. All of IHG’s hotels in Greater China are now participating in IHG Green Engage, which with an aim to reduce their environmental impact and achieve energy savings of up to 25%.

Fueled by its booming domestic, inbound and outbound travel, China enjoys an increasingly important status in the world’s travel and hospitality industry. China is currently IHG’s second largest market after the United States and is likely to surpass the US to become IHG’s largest market by number of rooms by 2025. 

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Media contacts:
Sharona Tao
IHG
Tel: +86 21 2893 3309
Fax: +86 21 2893 3399
[email protected] 

Notes to Editors:

IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global organisation with a broad portfolio of nine hotel brands, including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo®, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites®, Candlewood Suites®, EVEN™ Hotels and HUALUXE™ Hotels & Resorts.

IHG manages IHG® Rewards Club, the world’s first and largest hotel loyalty programme with over 76 million members worldwide. The programme was relaunched in July 2013, offering enhanced benefits for members including free internet for Elites across all hotels, globally.

IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns over 4,600 hotels and 679,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories. With more than 1,000 hotels in its development pipeline, IHG expects to recruit around 90,000 people into additional roles across its estate over the next few years.

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Group’s holding company and is incorporated in Great Britain and registered in England and Wales.

Visit www.ihg.com for hotel information and reservations and www.ihgrewardsclub.com for more on IHG Rewards Club. For our latest news, visit: www.ihg.com/mediawww.twitter.com/ihg, www.facebook.com/ihg or www.youtube.com/ihgplc.

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