The chain’s franchise holders are expected to invest some 550 million usd in Mexico over the next five years
 |
| By PRO MEXICO |
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) expects its franchise holders to invest some 550 million usd in Mexico over the next five years, showing just how confident the company is in this increasingly popular international tourist destination, explains IHG Sales Vice President Gerardo Murray.
“IHG is expanding in Mexico due to our shareholders’ confidence in the country. We have 47 hotels scheduled to open over the next five years, which translates into an investment of 550 million usd,” he says.
IHG is the world’s largest hotel company in terms of rooms –640,000 distributed throughout 4,400-plus hotels in 100 countries– and is the main investor in the sector in Mexico, where it owns seven prestigious brands: Inter-Continental Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites, valued at 2.16 billion usd in total.
As part of its expansion plans, the chain intends to open two new hotels in Mexico, one in Tuxpan, Veracruz, and the other in Acapulco, Guerrero, in July and August 2011, respectively.
An estimated 75 million usd will be channeled into these hotels, which will cater to the leisure and business sectors, and will swell IHG’s existing portfolio of 119 exclusively Mexican owned hotels.
“Why Tuxpan?” asks Murray, who goes on to explain how impressed he was at its “beauty and enormous potential to cater to groups from Mexico City, given that it’s the closest beach to the capital.”
Crowne Plaza, which is set to open its doors at the end of July, is a five star, 150-room hotel with a 2,200-seat convention center designed to target the business tourism sector. Strategically located on the banks of the Tuxpan River, which, incidentally, is one of the cleanest in the country, this new property is expected to boost other tourism related activities.
Murray views the opening of a new Holiday Inn in Acapulco this August as tangible evidence of IHG’s faith in the port’s capacity to attract leisure and business tourism. The four star resort will boast 224 rooms and will be ideally located on the coastal boulevard in the so called Golden Zone, close to the Convention Center. This naturally stunning setting offers guests the chance to experience a sensation of total wellbeing in safe surroundings.
“It has spectacular views and amazing terraces. The owners are making a substantial investment to turn it into a Holiday Inn Resort,” says Murray, adding that the hotel will also cater to groups and conventions of up to 700 people.
IHG’s interest in doing business in Mexico can be attributed to the potential of the country’s tourism industry, not to mention its unparalleled cultural and natural wealth. “It would be very shortsighted of us to overlook a destination that has it all. If Mexico is currently rated the world’s tenth top tourist destination, it can easily climb to eighth or seventh. We remain committed and will continue to support Mexico,” says Murray.
More importantly, IHG’s expansion plans in Mexico are backed by a broader, federal government-led strategy that is beginning to bear fruit on several levels. Under the auspices of the National Tourism Agenda, a global campaign to promote Mexico as one of the top five tourist destinations in the world was launched. As a result of that campaign, Mexico expects to rake in tourism revenues of some 40 billion usd this year, with 16,000 tourism-related jobs being created nationwide.
“Tourism is and always will be a pillar of the Mexican economy. At IHG, we see some very positive signs,” says Murray, adding that “funds continue to flow into the country and we have to expand to meet ever-increasing demand. There are segments, populations that are going to require hospitality services of the standard we offer and we have to be there.”
According to Murray, some of these positive signs include Bombardier’s decision to expand its aerospace facilities in the State of Querétaro, the development of the mining industry, spearheaded by Canadian investors, and the growth of the automotive industry in Guanajuato, where carmakers like Pirelli and General Motors have set up production plants.
That said, the confidence shown by IHG’s franchise holders does not stem exclusively from Mexico’s many and varied tourism attractions but also from the benefits of the business system developed by the company. “The success of our business model transcends our brand. As well as support in the areas of technology, operations and quality control, we offer an advanced platform of ad hoc systems that allow you to make decisions regarding commercial accounts, market segmentation, pricing and sales channels, based on data extracted from your own system and that is relevant to your specific activity. We also offer a marketing platform and sales support,” states Murray.
Additionally, IHG provides a bridge between its franchise holders and strategic partners like Aeroméxico, American Express and Visa, creating business opportunities they could not aspire to as individuals.
And unlike other hotel loyalty programs, IHG’s highly competitive Priority Club Rewards offers points that never expire and a wide range of redemption options, including partnerships with 40 airlines and the flexibility to redeem points for free stays at hotels around the world, even those of competitors, under the Hotels Anywhere program.
“The relationship with our franchise holders is not new. Some have been in the system for over 41 years because our product is profitable for them. They continue to invest in Mexico and purchase our brands because they have confidence in the country and trust the IHG franchise model. That’s the beauty of our business model,” concludes Murray.
“IHG is expanding in Mexico due to our shareholders’ confidence in the country. We have 47 hotels scheduled to open over the next five years, which translates into an investment of 550 million usd,” he says.
IHG is the world’s largest hotel company in terms of rooms –640,000 distributed throughout 4,400-plus hotels in 100 countries– and is the main investor in the sector in Mexico, where it owns seven prestigious brands: Inter-Continental Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites, valued at 2.16 billion usd in total.
As part of its expansion plans, the chain intends to open two new hotels in Mexico, one in Tuxpan, Veracruz, and the other in Acapulco, Guerrero, in July and August 2011, respectively.
An estimated 75 million usd will be channeled into these hotels, which will cater to the leisure and business sectors, and will swell IHG’s existing portfolio of 119 exclusively Mexican owned hotels.
“Why Tuxpan?” asks Murray, who goes on to explain how impressed he was at its “beauty and enormous potential to cater to groups from Mexico City, given that it’s the closest beach to the capital.”
Crowne Plaza, which is set to open its doors at the end of July, is a five star, 150-room hotel with a 2,200-seat convention center designed to target the business tourism sector. Strategically located on the banks of the Tuxpan River, which, incidentally, is one of the cleanest in the country, this new property is expected to boost other tourism related activities.
Murray views the opening of a new Holiday Inn in Acapulco this August as tangible evidence of IHG’s faith in the port’s capacity to attract leisure and business tourism. The four star resort will boast 224 rooms and will be ideally located on the coastal boulevard in the so called Golden Zone, close to the Convention Center. This naturally stunning setting offers guests the chance to experience a sensation of total wellbeing in safe surroundings.
“It has spectacular views and amazing terraces. The owners are making a substantial investment to turn it into a Holiday Inn Resort,” says Murray, adding that the hotel will also cater to groups and conventions of up to 700 people.
IHG’s interest in doing business in Mexico can be attributed to the potential of the country’s tourism industry, not to mention its unparalleled cultural and natural wealth. “It would be very shortsighted of us to overlook a destination that has it all. If Mexico is currently rated the world’s tenth top tourist destination, it can easily climb to eighth or seventh. We remain committed and will continue to support Mexico,” says Murray.
More importantly, IHG’s expansion plans in Mexico are backed by a broader, federal government-led strategy that is beginning to bear fruit on several levels. Under the auspices of the National Tourism Agenda, a global campaign to promote Mexico as one of the top five tourist destinations in the world was launched. As a result of that campaign, Mexico expects to rake in tourism revenues of some 40 billion usd this year, with 16,000 tourism-related jobs being created nationwide.
“Tourism is and always will be a pillar of the Mexican economy. At IHG, we see some very positive signs,” says Murray, adding that “funds continue to flow into the country and we have to expand to meet ever-increasing demand. There are segments, populations that are going to require hospitality services of the standard we offer and we have to be there.”
According to Murray, some of these positive signs include Bombardier’s decision to expand its aerospace facilities in the State of Querétaro, the development of the mining industry, spearheaded by Canadian investors, and the growth of the automotive industry in Guanajuato, where carmakers like Pirelli and General Motors have set up production plants.
That said, the confidence shown by IHG’s franchise holders does not stem exclusively from Mexico’s many and varied tourism attractions but also from the benefits of the business system developed by the company. “The success of our business model transcends our brand. As well as support in the areas of technology, operations and quality control, we offer an advanced platform of ad hoc systems that allow you to make decisions regarding commercial accounts, market segmentation, pricing and sales channels, based on data extracted from your own system and that is relevant to your specific activity. We also offer a marketing platform and sales support,” states Murray.
Additionally, IHG provides a bridge between its franchise holders and strategic partners like Aeroméxico, American Express and Visa, creating business opportunities they could not aspire to as individuals.
And unlike other hotel loyalty programs, IHG’s highly competitive Priority Club Rewards offers points that never expire and a wide range of redemption options, including partnerships with 40 airlines and the flexibility to redeem points for free stays at hotels around the world, even those of competitors, under the Hotels Anywhere program.
“The relationship with our franchise holders is not new. Some have been in the system for over 41 years because our product is profitable for them. They continue to invest in Mexico and purchase our brands because they have confidence in the country and trust the IHG franchise model. That’s the beauty of our business model,” concludes Murray.
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) expects its franchise holders to invest some 550 million usd in Mexico over the next five years, showing just how confident the company is in this increasingly popular international tourist destination, explains IHG Sales Vice President Gerardo Murray.
“IHG is expanding in Mexico due to our shareholders’ confidence in the country. We have 47 hotels scheduled to open over the next five years, which translates into an investment of 550 million usd,” he says.
IHG is the world’s largest hotel company in terms of rooms –640,000 distributed throughout 4,400-plus hotels in 100 countries– and is the main investor in the sector in Mexico, where it owns seven prestigious brands: Inter-Continental Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites, valued at 2.16 billion usd in total.
As part of its expansion plans, the chain intends to open two new hotels in Mexico, one in Tuxpan, Veracruz, and the other in Acapulco, Guerrero, in July and August 2011, respectively.
An estimated 75 million usd will be channeled into these hotels, which will cater to the leisure and business sectors, and will swell IHG’s existing portfolio of 119 exclusively Mexican owned hotels.
“Why Tuxpan?” asks Murray, who goes on to explain how impressed he was at its “beauty and enormous potential to cater to groups from Mexico City, given that it’s the closest beach to the capital.”
Crowne Plaza, which is set to open its doors at the end of July, is a five star, 150-room hotel with a 2,200-seat convention center designed to target the business tourism sector. Strategically located on the banks of the Tuxpan River, which, incidentally, is one of the cleanest in the country, this new property is expected to boost other tourism related activities.
Murray views the opening of a new Holiday Inn in Acapulco this August as tangible evidence of IHG’s faith in the port’s capacity to attract leisure and business tourism. The four star resort will boast 224 rooms and will be ideally located on the coastal boulevard in the so called Golden Zone, close to the Convention Center. This naturally stunning setting offers guests the chance to experience a sensation of total wellbeing in safe surroundings.
“It has spectacular views and amazing terraces. The owners are making a substantial investment to turn it into a Holiday Inn Resort,” says Murray, adding that the hotel will also cater to groups and conventions of up to 700 people.
IHG’s interest in doing business in Mexico can be attributed to the potential of the country’s tourism industry, not to mention its unparalleled cultural and natural wealth. “It would be very shortsighted of us to overlook a destination that has it all. If Mexico is currently rated the world’s tenth top tourist destination, it can easily climb to eighth or seventh. We remain committed and will continue to support Mexico,” says Murray.
More importantly, IHG’s expansion plans in Mexico are backed by a broader, federal government-led strategy that is beginning to bear fruit on several levels. Under the auspices of the National Tourism Agenda, a global campaign to promote Mexico as one of the top five tourist destinations in the world was launched. As a result of that campaign, Mexico expects to rake in tourism revenues of some 40 billion usd this year, with 16,000 tourism-related jobs being created nationwide.
“Tourism is and always will be a pillar of the Mexican economy. At IHG, we see some very positive signs,” says Murray, adding that “funds continue to flow into the country and we have to expand to meet ever-increasing demand. There are segments, populations that are going to require hospitality services of the standard we offer and we have to be there.”
According to Murray, some of these positive signs include Bombardier’s decision to expand its aerospace facilities in the State of Querétaro, the development of the mining industry, spearheaded by Canadian investors, and the growth of the automotive industry in Guanajuato, where carmakers like Pirelli and General Motors have set up production plants.
That said, the confidence shown by IHG’s franchise holders does not stem exclusively from Mexico’s many and varied tourism attractions but also from the benefits of the business system developed by the company. “The success of our business model transcends our brand. As well as support in the areas of technology, operations and quality control, we offer an advanced platform of ad hoc systems that allow you to make decisions regarding commercial accounts, market segmentation, pricing and sales channels, based on data extracted from your own system and that is relevant to your specific activity. We also offer a marketing platform and sales support,” states Murray.
Additionally, IHG provides a bridge between its franchise holders and strategic partners like Aeroméxico, American Express and Visa, creating business opportunities they could not aspire to as individuals.
And unlike other hotel loyalty programs, IHG’s highly competitive Priority Club Rewards offers points that never expire and a wide range of redemption options, including partnerships with 40 airlines and the flexibility to redeem points for free stays at hotels around the world, even those of competitors, under the Hotels Anywhere program.
“The relationship with our franchise holders is not new. Some have been in the system for over 41 years because our product is profitable for them. They continue to invest in Mexico and purchase our brands because they have confidence in the country and trust the IHG franchise model. That’s the beauty of our business model,” concludes Murray.
No comments:
Post a Comment