The lowdown: Everything you need to know about IHG
The lowdown: Everything you need to know about IHG www.careers.ihg.com
We love meeting with talented and passionate people every day. We want to hear all about your experience and what it is that you love to do! However, that’s not the only thing we look out for when we get the chance to meet face to face. We want to see if you’ve done your research too.
We want people who are passionate about the IHG mission, bringing the highest quality experience that any guest will love. That means that we look for people who know our history, our ambitions and share our values. That means that you have to do some searching and brush up on all of our latest info!
So we’ve prepared this download for you – it’s your one stop shop for everything IHG. In it you’ll find facts about our structure, our history and our values. That way you can ensure you’re brushed up on exactly what we’re about and stroll into your interview with total confidence!
Introduction01
The lowdown: Everything you need to know about IHG www.careers.ihg.com
IHG is proud to be one of the world’s leading hotel companies. Our diverse range of hotel brands can be found in nearly 100 countries worldwide. We became a standalone company in 2003 but our business and broad portfolio of hotel brands have a much longer history.
What may surprise you is that our history dates back as far as 1777! You may or may not know that our story begins with the opening of Bass Breweries by William Bass in Burton-on-Trent.
Now you may be wondering what that has to do with the hospitality industry… Well, if we fast forward to the mid-Twentieth Century and Bass will become one of the biggest global hotel companies.
So let’s go…
Our history02
The lowdown: Everything you need to know about IHG www.careers.ihg.com
Belem, Brazil
The first ever InterContinental opens
– precipitating the expansion of the
InterContinental Hotels & Resorts brand to
become the world’s first truly international
luxury hotel experts.
The Crowne Plaza brand is launched, aimed
specifically at business travellers.
1996 saw a renewed focus by Bass on their
pubs and hotels portfolio, after they attempt
to acquire half of the Carslberg-Tetley
brewing business was blocked.
IHG becomes a standalone company.
IHG moves into two different travel arenas,
launching EVEN Hotels –with a focus on
wellness for the health conscious traveller.
In the same year IHG debuts HUALUXE®
Hotels and Resorts, the first upscale
international hotel brand designed
specifically for the Chinese traveller.
Memphis, Tennessee
One of the world’s most recognisable
hotel brands, Holiday Inn, is opened by
businessman Kemmons Wilson, aimed
at providing comfortable, affordable
accommodation for travelling families.
Holiday Inn Express is launched by Bass –
following their move into the international
hotel business two years previously in 1989.
Bass extend their hotel portfolio when they
launch Staybridge Suites® by Holiday Inn.
This places them squarely in the North
American upscale extended stay market.
New boutique hotel brand, Hotel Indigo,
is launched. These hotels are designed
specifically to reflect the history and culture
of the local area.
Our history cont.
1949
1983
1996
2003
2012
1952
1991
1997
2004
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If you want to find out even more about our varied history and our exciting future then simply pay a visit to our animated History timeline.
The lowdown: Everything you need to know about IHG www.careers.ihg.com
IHG runs on what is known as an ‘asset-light’ strategy. That means we focus mainly on franchising and managing hotels. Our business partners and franchisees own the bricks and mortar on most of our hotels, with us owning a small fraction of the properties in our portfolio.
We operate hotels in three different ways – as a franchisor, a manager and on an owned and leased basis. We also focus mainly on upscale and luxury brands, with each name in the IHG portfolio tailored specifically for the needs of a particular demographic of travellers.
Our brands are located in four main regions: the Americas; Europe; Asia, Middle East and Africa (AMEA); and Greater China.
Let’s take a closer a look at the main differences between our different operating models.
How our business works03
The lowdown: Everything you need to know about IHG www.careers.ihg.com
How our business works cont.03
Franchise modelFranchisees want to be in business for themselves but not by themselves. Our franchisees can brand their hotel with one of our high-profile, global brands and take advantage of a globally recognisable name and the customer loyalty that comes with that.
We also provide a comprehensive set of tools such as revenue management and marketing programmes to help the business thrive and blossom, using our industry expertise.
Managed modelSome third-party hotel owners want the peace of mind that their hotel is being managed by experts with high standards of service and a global reputation. That’s where IHG come in with the managed model.
We assume responsibility for managing the hotel, but the physical property is still owned by the third-party that we go into business. Typically, the senior management like the General Manager and the Financial Controller are IHG employees, who oversee operations and use their knowledge and experience to develop an expert team to run the day-to-day hotel operations.
Owned modelAs we operate an asset-light business model, we have sold almost 200 hotels since IHG became a standalone company in 2003. However, we do still own a number of hotels across the globe to help expand our presence in markets that we are keen to grow in.
Whichever model an owner choose, we have the capacity, experience and global presence to make their hotels a success and to make our renowned brands the first name in luxury hotels across the world.
The lowdown: Everything you need to know about IHG www.careers.ihg.com
Our people are what sit at the heart of our company and everything we do. We know that we need talented and passionate people to provide the high standard of guest service that each of our brands has become known for. We believe that is our culture, and how we engage with our people, that allows us to achieve this.
We have a central vision that helps guide the more than 350,000 people that bring the IHG dream to life. We call them our Winning Ways – a set of beliefs, behaviours and values that are important to us and our customers. This gives us all here at IHG a shared purpose that means that wherever in the world they are, our guests still receive the same, consistently high standard of service and every IHG team member is a happy one.
To find out more about our cultural values then visit the Our People page to read about how we’re prioritising the development of our team of people across the globe.
Our culture04
Do the right thing
Show we care
Celebrate difference
Aim higher Work better together
Useful facts and figures05
Open rooms
Rooms
Rooms
Rooms
Rooms
Rooms
Rooms
Rooms
Rooms
RoomsRooms
Rooms
Open hotels
Hotels
Hotels
Hotels
Hotels
Hotels
Hotels
Hotels
Hotels
HotelsHotels
Hotels
749,721
62,406
241,061
112,647
32,813
446
11,444
8,407
7,175
209,616789
24,582
5,070
183
2,456
405
347
3
44
70
22
1,1543
226
Our BrandsInterContinental Hotels & Resorts
Holiday Inn Express
Crowne Plaza
Candlewood Suites
EVEN Hotels
Holiday Inn Resort
Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants
Holiday Inn Club Vacations
Holiday InnHUALUXE
Staybridge Suites
The lowdown: Everything you need to know about IHG www.careers.ihg.com
If you think you’ve got what it takes and want to become part of our team, head over to careers.ihg.com and click ‘Find A Job’ at the top of the page. Start your journey with us today… and don’t forget to print out your ebook in preparation. We can’t wait to meet you!
Are you ready for your next career move?
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