Earlier this year, IHG Hotels & Resorts tapped Leanne Harwood to oversee operations for its luxury and lifestyle sector in the Americas region. For the role, the hospitality industry veteran moved across the world to Atlanta from Sydney, where she was serving as senior vice president and managing director for IHG’s Japan, Australasia and Pacific region.
In her new region, Harwood is tasked with driving growth for IHG’s six luxury and lifestyle brands: Six Senses, Regent Hotels & Resorts, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants and Vignette Collection. IHG’s luxury and lifestyle segment is growing “particularly fast,” and the company plans to continue expanding in the space, according to an earnings report earlier this year. Hotel Dive sat down with Harwood to learn about IHG’s rapidly expanding luxury and lifestyle portfolio and the company’s strategy in the Americas.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
HOTEL DIVE: Are there any unique differences about luxury and lifestyle hotels in the Americas region now that you're getting to know it?
LEANNE HARWOOD: There is a lot that is the same, which I say with probably a bit of relief. People genuinely, no matter where they travel around the world, [travel] for a similar experience, and I'm seeing similar trends across the industry.
Luxury and lifestyle isn't one particular direction anymore. It really is making sure that you have multiple offerings in different segments, even inside the luxury and lifestyle segment.
Leanne Harwood
senior vice president and managing director, IHG's Luxury & Lifestyle Americas
The thing that I'm probably the most delighted about is that there was always a guarded feeling about where the luxury and lifestyle portfolio sits within the Americas, and I am genuinely delighted to say that we have got some outstanding hotels and properties across this part of the world. That, for me, has been a real reassurance, coming so far across the world. I think I was expecting more difference than I've experienced.
What is IHG’s strategy for luxury and lifestyle in the Americas currently?
We have been on a fairly rapid growth [path] over the last few years, particularly in this segment. We've really identified the fact that this is a growing segment. We're continuing to see growth in top-tier segments. And so for us, it's been very much about making sure that we've got brands that sit across a wide platform within that sector. Luxury and lifestyle isn't one particular direction anymore. It really is making sure that you have multiple offerings in different segments, even inside the luxury and lifestyle segment.
If you look at our portfolio, for instance, we've got a wonderful, rich history with the InterContinental brand that we've had for so many years. We've always had Hotel Indigo, and that offers that neighborhood story lifestyle element. We acquired Kimpton some years ago, and that really boosted us across the lifestyle segment. And then we have the upper luxury sector with Regent, and of course, we have Six Senses. And now we've started expanding with more individualistic brands like Vignette [Collection], and [the Americas region] launched our first Vignette in Washington, D.C., with Yours Truly [in 2023]. From a company perspective, we're continuing to grow and evolve each of those brands across our portfolio, and they are uniquely different.
The second part to that is trying to keep ahead of trends we see with consumers and travelers. Gone are the days when people were looking for the “ladies and gentlemen” approach to luxury. They're looking for a real modern luxury, and they want to have more experiential stays inside our hotels. And they're looking for a seamless, effortless travel experience. [We] are really working to make sure that we offer guest experiences in a unique way that's relevant to each of those brands, but it has to be individualized. People are looking for a bespoke approach, an approach that is relevant to me as a luxury and lifestyle traveler.
When we talk about personalizing the hotel journey, we’re often talking about tech. What is IHG doing on that front?
We have an amazing loyalty program that we work with, which has all of our individual preferences in it, that we're working toward enabling before a guest comes into the resorts or into the hotels. We also have preset communication pieces where we reach out to a guest in advance of their arrival. So we really make sure that that's bespoke, depending on the brand and depending on the size of the asset [the guest is] walking into.
The golden thread for us that ties everything that we do is loyalty.
Leanne Harwood
senior vice president and managing director, IHG's Luxury & Lifestyle Americas
We're in the middle of rolling out this amazing online system where you're going to have the ability to choose your own attributes that you're looking for in a hotel room. And I think that's really exciting. Gone are the days where you just go in and choose a hotel room based on whether it has a double bed or a queen-size bed or a twin bed. You can choose where that hotel room is located, what the attributes of that room are, what the view looks like, etc.
A lot of other hotel companies are expanding in luxury and lifestyle as well. How does IHG position its brands amid all the competition?
That's a good point, because there's an awful lot of brands out there. The golden thread for us that ties everything that we do is loyalty. More and more people are looking to ensure that they are recognized and rewarded in each of their stays.
I know multiple brands do that as well, but I think that each of us are approaching it slightly differently. We've created what we believe is one of the best apps when it comes to hotels, and we've been recognized with a load of awards for that, which is really exciting, and that really positions our brands differently. Our master brand fits and underpins everything that we do.
Who are your travelers in the luxury and lifestyle segment, and have those traveler profiles changed in recent years?
Yes, they have. This is why IHG has really expanded the portfolio of hotels — to address those different travelers that we're seeing. People are now traveling not only for business, but also for pleasure. They’re taking the opportunity to travel with their partners or their family and add on a weekend and make the most of that. There's a lot of road warriors out there that might not necessarily be staying in our luxury and lifestyle brands all the time, but they may want to experience that on their weekends. So I think that's a critical element for us — that opportunity to leverage our loyalty program.
We believe that there will always be a sector of the market that wants to stay in a more traditional-style hotel. You've also got travelers who want to hang out with all the cool see-and-be-seen people. Those people are incredibly different from somebody who wants to stay at the new Regent that's opening in Santa Monica. And not to forget Six Senses where travelers want to go on a wellness journey. I think there are emerging trends within each one of those brands.
How does the Vignette Collection fit into this portfolio? How can these collection hotels have a unifying brand while also being so different?
I was actually really lucky to launch the first Vignette back in Australia a couple of years ago, and I'm so delighted that we've really seen a growth of Vignette over the last few years. That’s happening because people are wanting to have that unique experience. The thread that ties them all together is IHG and IHG One Rewards. We bring our approach to sustainability; we bring our approach to health, life and safety; and [we] ensure that we have international standards in all of our hotels. Guests want to arrive at a hotel and feel safe. There’s surety [in] that — you know what you're going to get, but you've got the overlay of having a bespoke, designed experience and an individual approach. I think it's the best of both worlds.
