Kirk Kinsell, president of IHG’s Americas division, revealed the company’s plans for new brands in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. An upper-upscale brand specific to China would cater to domestic travelers and could be open for business as soon as next year.
Meanwhile, IHG is planning a full-service midscale hotel concept for the U.S., noting that the midmarket segment is the largest in the world. “With Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express, we dominate,” Kinsell says. “This is an opportunity to leverage that position as well as to continue to grow with the size of the market.”
