Understanding Hotel Giant IHG

InterContinental Hotels Group, based in Denham, England, is one of the largest hotel groups in the world by number of rooms, along with competitors like Marriott and Accor. It has about 5,656 hotels globally — 842,759 rooms — mostly in the U.S. The vast majority of its hotels are franchises. Keith Barr took over as CEO nearly two years ago, replacing former CEO Richard Solomons. He leads the company along with chief financial officer Paul Edgecliffe-Johnson and chief marketing officer Claire Bennett, plus regional CEOs for the Americas; Europe, the Middle East, and Africa; and Greater China. There are 17 IHG brands overall, spanning from midscale to luxury. The midscale Holiday Inn Express is by far its biggest, making up nearly half of its hotels worldwide. Meanwhile InterContinental Hotels & Resorts is its largest luxury brand with a total of 204 hotels, and Crowne Plaza its largest upscale brand, with a total of 427 hotels. For years the IHG Rewards Club was the lar