Did you know that the owner of hotel brands (aka 'flags') like Holiday Inn & Holiday Inn Express, Intercontinental, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Candlewood and Staybridge Suites has its U.S. headquarters in Atlanta? 'Tis true. And the U.K.-based company isn't stopping there. After an earlier announcement in Europe, IHG officially told (via an interview) its annual conference of hotel owners, operators and employees in Las Vegas of its plans to create another brand for its stable. What is it? We can't say, it's a secret. But Kirk Kinsell, President of IHG's America's division did offer a helpful cereal analogy in explaining the move. Basically, the world is like the cereal aisle of the grocery store, and hotel brands are like different types of cereal. The more types of cereal you have on the aisle, the more people have to stay in your hotels. Make sense? Good.
· Why InterContinental Plans Another Midscale Hotel Chain [WSJ]