Skift Take
IHG really needs a conversion brand in the mid-market for supply and demand reasons. So this move is smart. Yet Garner falls flat with us as a name.
IHG needed a new brand to appeal to two audiences — guests looking for something cheaper than the company's 70-year-old flagship, Holiday Inn, and developers looking for a more cost-effective brand to run. The UK-based hotel giant on Wednesday took a step to fill this market gap by officially launching its 19th hotel brand, Garner an IHG Hotel.
IHG has big plans for Garner. It expects to have more than 1,000 hotels worldwide flagged under this brand over the next two decades.
The company has been showing a promo video to developers — embedded below.
https://vimeo.com/853292153 Demand-Side Reasons for the New BrandGarner aims to be a bit more affordable for guests than its other brands targeting the middle of the market.
It aims to be about $10 to $15 a night cheaper than IHG'S midscale Holiday Inn Express brand. The company's market researchers said that U.S. travelers seeking hotels at this price point will spend about $18 billion a year on hotels by 2030. Until