InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has a high development pace in Greater China-- it now has a total portfolio of 125 hotels – 65 in operation and an additional 60 in the development pipeline. IHG Asia-Pacific Chief Executive A. Patrick Imbardelli talks to Amy Cheung of The China Perspective on IHG’s point of difference in China.

The China Perspective: What are your hotel brands that are currently in operation in Mainland? What are their respective target groups?
A. Imbardelli: IHG operates four brands in Greater China: InterContinental Hotels & Resorts is a prestigious luxury brand committed to providing guests with memorable and unique experiences. The brand has six hotels with more than 2,400 rooms;

Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts is an upscale brand that focuses on meetings, offering business and leisure travellers high levels of comfort, service and amenities. The brand has 17 hotels with more than 5,800 rooms;

Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts is an award-winning mid-market brand with a global reputation for service, comfort and value. The brand has 36 hotels with more than 11,200 rooms;

Express by Holiday Inn is a new mid-scale convenience brand offering limited facilities, value and comfort. The brand has six hotels with more than 1,500 rooms.

TCP: What kind of opportunities you get from managing Beijing Olympic Center under your InterContinental Hotels and Resorts brand? What are other collaborations with the Olympics?
AI: IHG is the only international hotel company to secure management contract for two Olympic hotels. We will launch InterContinental Qingdao, strategically located in Qingdao Olympics Water Sports Center, later this year. InterContinental Beijing North, located in the Beijing Olympics Centre and next to the National Convention Centre, will be launched in 2008. The hotel will play host to official delegates and international media during the 2008 Olympics games.

In addition, five other IHG hotels in Beijing have been appointed as official hotels for the 2008 Olympics.

TCP: What are IHG's short- and long-term goals in China? How would you achieve these goals?
AI: As Greater China’s largest international hotel management company, IHG is on track towards meeting its goal of having a total of 125 hotels open in China by 2008. While IHG’s new hotel development pipeline is the industry’s largest at 1,126 hotels globally, fifty five of these new hotels will be in China. We now has 23,000 employees in Greater China and plans to recruit another 20,000 over the next three years to support its goals.

TCP: Various reports said that China's star hotels lack necessary senior hotel management and executives. Is this a problem to IHG? How do you resolve this issue common to many hotels in China?
AI: An ongoing challenge in the hospitality industry is the ability to attract and retain the right people. We recognize the need to recruit a large number of people (up to 20,000 more people) across China to support our goal of having 125 hotels open by the end of 2008.

As part of a greater strategy to address this need, we launched IHG Academy in partnership with Shanghai University’s Advanced Polytechnic College and two leading specialist hospitality education providers in Australia. This specialty hospitality institution offers a series of specially-developed learning programmes aimed at addressing the demand for trained talent in the fast-growing hotel industry.

TCP: To IHG, what are the attractions lie with Chinese market?
AI: According to WTO statistics, China generated a demand of 31 million room nights in 2005 and by 2010, the number will increase to 70 million room nights.
By 2020, China will become one of the biggest global travel markets with up to 180 million inbound visitors per year, and about 100 million outbound travelers.

TCP: What are IHG’s advantages in operating in China?
AI: Having a portfolio of hotels in China covering four brand segments means that whether travelers are looking for a luxury hotel, an upscale meetings hotel, a mid-market hotel or a mid-scale convenience hotel, we’ll have one that is right for them.