 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Hotels |
| Founded | 4 April 1946 |
| Founder | Juan Trippe |
Number of locations | 208 hotels and resorts |
| Owner |
|
| Website | ihg.com/intercontinental |
InterContinental Hotels & Resorts is a British-American luxury hotel brand created in 1946 by Pan Am founder Juan Trippe. [1] It has been part of UK-based InterContinental Hotels Group since 1998. [1] As of January 2023, there were 208 InterContinental hotels worldwide, with 70,287 rooms. [2]
In 1945, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Juan Trippe, President of Pan Am, discussed their concern for Latin America's need for development funds at a White House breakfast. The two men thought that one way to attract businessmen and tourists would be to offer luxury hotels in key cities. [3] Trippe contacted Statler Hotels' chief executive H.B. Callis, and his company undertook a feasibility study, but the company decided the program would be too expensive. Trippe contacted multiple other US hotel chains, but none showed interest. Roosevelt requested that Pan Am take the lead in developing 5000 hotel rooms in Latin America, with a projected cost of $50,000,000. Pan Am's profit that year was only $3 million, so a $25,000,000 line of credit was arranged for Pan Am with the Export–Import Bank of the United States. [4] Trippe agreed to form a subsidiary company to foster the implementation of the idea. The hotels would also serve to accommodate Pan Am crews and passengers in destinations where upscale hotels were not yet present. [3]
On 4 April 1946, the International Hotels Corporation was founded, with Pan Am owning a 100% stake. [4] Throughout 1946, company executives traveled to cities across Latin America on fact-finding trips to scout potential locations. In early 1947, Pan Am decided that Intercontinental Hotels Corporation would more accurately reflect the chain's eventual global goals for expansion, and the company was renamed. [4] The company signed its first lease that year, for the partially-completed Hotel Victoria Plaza in Montevideo, Uruguay. Construction there would end up continuing for more than five years. [4] Throughout 1948, more locations were scouted, and in early 1949 agreements were signed for properties in Caracas and Maracaibo, Venezuela.
On 1 May 1949, Intercontinental assumed operation of its first hotel, the 85-room Grande Hotel, in Belém, Brazil, which had been constructed in the early 20th Century. [5] On 1 January 1950, Intercontinental assumed operation of its second hotel, the Hotel Carrera, in Santiago, Chile. [6] Over the next three years, the company took over three more existing hotels – the Hotel del Prado in Barranquilla, Colombia; the Hotel Reforma in Mexico City and The Princess in Hamilton, Bermuda. In 1953, Intercontinental opened three newly constructed properties – the Hotel Victoria Plaza in Montevideo, the Hotel Tamanaco in Caracas and the Hotel del Lago in Maracaibo. That same year, they also opened the Hotel Tequendama in Bogotá, Colombia, the largest hotel in South America and the first hotel to be developed, designed and constructed completely under Intercontinental supervision. [4] All four properties were designed by the Chicago firm of Holabird, Root & Burgee. In 1955, Intercontinental purchased a 47% stake in the Hotel Nacional de Cuba, in Havana. By 1958, the chain had sixteen hotels in operation throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. [4]
In 1961, Intercontinental Hotels opened its first property in the Middle East, the Phoenicia Intercontinental Beirut, in Lebanon. In 1962, the chain expanded to three more continents, assuming management of the Ducor Palace Hotel in Monrovia, Liberia in April, [7] opening the Hotel Indonesia in Jakarta, Indonesia, in July, [8] and The Southern Cross in Melbourne, Australia, in August. [9] The first properties in Europe followed in May 1963, with simultaneous openings in Dublin, Cork and Limerick, Ireland. [10] In 1964, Intercontinental became the first American hotel chain to operate in Eastern Europe, when it assumed management of the Hotel Esplanade in Zagreb, Yugoslavia. The chain would continue to be unique among western hospitality companies in operating behind the "Iron Curtain", opening properties in Budapest, Bucharest, Prague and Warsaw between 1968 and 1974. [4]
The company continued constructing new luxury hotels in Pan Am destinations around the world. In its hotel designs, Intercontinental aspired to combine Mid-century modern American luxury with decorative elements drawn from local cultures. [3] Between 1961 and 1985, Intercontinental's head designer, Neal Prince, designed interiors and branding for 135 hotels. [3] [11]
The chain was officially rebranded as Inter•Continental Hotels in 1966, with the name commonly spelled with a hyphen as Inter-Continental when typed. [12]
In 1972, Inter-Continental started a line of moderately priced hotels, called Forum Hotels. [13] The first Forum property was the Lee Gardens Hotel in Hong Kong. [14] Inter-Continental opened its first hotel in the United States in 1973, when it assumed management of the Mark Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco. [15]
Facing significant financial losses, [16] Pan Am sold their profitable Inter-Continental Hotels division to Grand Metropolitan on 19 August 1981 for $500 million. On 1 April 1982, the new owners merged their existing chain of 17 Grand Metropolitan Hotels into Inter-Continental and its sibling chain Forum Hotels. [17]
Later in 1982, Inter-Continental formed a joint venture with Scanticon International, a Danish company that had opened a highly successful conference hotel near Princeton, New Jersey in 1981. [18] Inter-Continental owned 80% of the business, with Scanticon controlling 20%. Additional Scanticon conference hotels were opened in Minneapolis and Denver, before InterContinental exited the joint venture in 1991.
Grand Metropolitan sold Inter-Continental Hotels to the Tokyo-based Seibu Saison Group on 1 October 1988 for $2.27 billion, for a profit of $850 million after taxes. [19] On 20 February 1998, the Saison Group sold the chain to Bass PLC, for $2.9 billion. [20]
In 2000, Bass sold its namesake brewing business, along with its name and red triangle trademark, to Interbrew, for £2.3 billion. [21] On 27 June 2001, Bass renamed itself Six Continents, focusing on its hotels and its 2000 restaurants and bars. The name Six Continents was chosen from among 10,000 staff submissions, and was already the name of the Inter-Continental Hotels loyalty club. [22] In 2003, Six Continents demerged its bar and pubs business into a separate company, Mitchells & Butlers, and the hospitality company was renamed InterContinental Hotels Group. [23] At the same time, Inter-Continental Hotels dropped the hyphen in its name and became InterContinental Hotels. The chain is one of numerous brands today within the company.
InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown, located within the Wilshire Grand Center in downtown Los Angeles, is the largest InterContinental in the Americas and the tallest building in Los Angeles. [24]
InterContinental manages the Willard InterContinental Hotel in downtown Washington, D.C., two blocks east of the White House. The 177-year-old hotel has hosted many heads of state. [25]
InterContinental briefly operated a hotel in Lagos, but withdrew from Nigeria in 2018, after a disagreement with its local partners over the terms of how to get the property out of receivership, just four years after the hotel opened. [26]
The Inter-Continental Kabul opened in 1969, but ceased operation following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. The hotel continues to operate independently using the Inter-Continental name, but unaffiliated with the chain. [27]
| Americas | Europe, Middle East, & Africa | Asia-Pacific | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 [28] | Properties | 46 | 63 | 26 | 135 |
| Rooms | 15,074 | 20,842 | 9,130 | 45,046 | |
| 2004 [29] | Properties | 44 | 62 | 26 | 132 |
| Rooms | 15,088 | 20,292 | 9,136 | 44,516 | |
| 2005 [30] | Properties | 45 | 65 | 27 | 137 |
| Rooms | 15,328 | 21,473 | 9,461 | 46,262 | |
| 2006 [31] | Properties | 49 | 66 | 33 | 148 |
| Rooms | 16,525 | 21,423 | 11,651 | 49,599 | |
| 2007 [32] | Properties | 50 | 62 | 37 | 149 |
| Rooms | 16,624 | 20,012 | 14,126 | 50,762 | |
| 2008 [33] | Properties | 55 | 64 | 40 | 159 |
| Rooms | 18,502 | 20,836 | 15,398 | 54,736 | |
| 2009 [34] | Properties | 55 | 65 | 46 | 166 |
| Rooms | 18,499 | 20,586 | 17,036 | 56,121 | |
| 2010 [35] | Properties | 56 | 64 | 51 | 171 |
| Rooms | 19,120 | 20,111 | 19,198 | 58,429 |
| Americas | Europe | Asia, Middle East, & Africa | Greater China | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 [36] | Properties | 52 | 30 | 64 | 23 | 169 |
| Rooms | 17,598 | 9,664 | 20,425 | 9,911 | 57,598 | |
| 2012 [37] | Properties | 53 | 30 | 65 | 22 | 170 |
| Rooms | 17,756 | 9,394 | 20,791 | 9,373 | 57,314 | |
| 2013 [38] | Properties | 51 | 31 | 67 | 29 | 178 |
| Rooms | 17,453 | 9,525 | 21,383 | 11,742 | 60,103 | |
| 2014 [39] | Properties | 50 | 30 | 67 | 33 | 180 |
| Rooms | 16,897 | 9,372 | 21,424 | 13,542 | 61,235 | |
| 2015 [40] | Properties | 50 | 32 | 68 | 34 | 184 |
| Rooms | 17,109 | 9,886 | 21,238 | 13,807 | 62,040 | |
| 2016 [41] | Properties | 48 | 31 | 69 | 39 | 187 |
| Rooms | 16,408 | 9,724 | 21,203 | 16,315 | 63,650 | |
| 2017 [42] | Properties | 50 | 32 | 72 | 40 | 194 |
| Rooms | 17,578 | 9,889 | 21,902 | 16,629 | 65,998 |
| Americas | Europe, Middle East, Asia, & Africa | Greater China | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 [43] | Properties | 51 | 106 | 47 | 204 |
| Rooms | 17,753 | 32,299 | 19,229 | 69,281 | |
| 2019 [44] | Properties | 51 | 113 | 48 | 212 |
| Rooms | 17,896 | 33,515 | 19,570 | 70,981 | |
| 2020 [45] | Properties | 46 | 108 | 51 | 205 |
| Rooms | 16,789 | 32,474 | 20,678 | 69,941 | |
| 2021 [46] | Properties | 43 | 108 | 53 | 204 |
| Rooms | 15,651 | 32,561 | 21,190 | 69,402 | |
| 2022 [47] | Properties | 42 | 111 | 54 | 207 |
| Rooms | 15,541 | 32,861 | 21,404 | 69,806 | |
| 2023 [48] | Properties | 43 | 119 | 60 | 222 |
| Rooms | 15,674 | 34,443 | 23,383 | 73,500 |
Juan Terry Trippe was an American commercial aviation pioneer, entrepreneur and the founder of Pan American World Airways, one of the iconic airlines of the 20th century. He was involved in the introduction of the Sikorsky S-42, which opened trans-Pacific airline travel, the Boeing 307 Stratoliner which introduced cabin pressurization to airline operations, the Boeing 707 which started a new era in low cost jet transportation, and the Boeing 747 jumbo jets. Trippe's signing of the 747 contract coincided with the 50th anniversary of Boeing. He also founded InterContinental Hotels & Resorts.
Holiday Inn is a chain of hotels based in Atlanta, Georgia and a brand of IHG Hotels & Resorts. The chain was founded in 1952 by Kemmons Wilson (1913–2003), who opened the first location in Memphis, Tennessee. The chain was a division of Bass Brewery from 1988-2000, Six Continents from 2000-03, and IHG Hotels & Resorts since 2003. It operates hotels under the names Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, and Holiday Inn Resorts. As of 2018, Holiday Inn has hotels at over 1,100 locations.
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), marketed as IHG Hotels & Resorts, is a British multinational hospitality company headquartered in Windsor, Berkshire, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange. It is also a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.
Crowne Plaza is a multinational chain of full service, upscale hotels headquartered in the United Kingdom. It caters to the business, leisure and blended travel market usually located in city centers, resorts, coastal towns or near major airports. The brand is part of IHG Hotels & Resorts family of brands, which include InterContinental Hotels & Resorts and Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts, and operates in nearly 100 countries with more than 400 hotels and 110,000 bedrooms,
Intercontinental is an adjective to describe something which relates to more than one continent.
The Peninsula Hotels is a chain of luxury hotels operated by Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels. Founded by the Kadoorie family, the first hotel opened in 1928 and now stands as the oldest in Hong Kong.
The Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel is a historic 332-room luxury hotel opened in 1911, located at 58 La Croisette in Cannes on the French Riviera. It is famous for hosting movie stars from around the world during the annual Film Festival. Following major renovations, it reopened on 13 March 2023.
The InterContinental Athénée Palace Bucharest is a historic luxury hotel in Bucharest, Romania, originally opened in 1914. It was arguably Europe's most notorious den of spies in the years leading up to World War II, and only slightly less so during the Cold War.
Pakistan Services Limited, doing business as Pearl-Continental Hotels & Resorts, is the largest chain of Premium, Luxury and Select Service hotels in Pakistan with properties in Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Bhurban, Muzaffarabad and Malam Jabba, and under construction in Multan, Attabad Lake, Sukkur, and Mirpur.
Regent Hotels & Resorts is a British-American luxury hospitality brand, founded by hotelier Robert H. Burns in 1970. After passing through different owners since foundation, it is currently jointly owned by IHG Hotels & Resorts and Formosa International Hotels Corporation since July 2018, with hotels and resorts in Asia and Europe.
The InterContinental Miami is a luxury hotel in Downtown Miami, Florida. Opened in 1983, it is owned by Strategic Hotels & Resorts and operated by IHG Hotels & Resorts as part of its InterContinental portfolio.
Regent Hong Kong is a five-star hotel located at 18 Salisbury Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong. The hotel is positioned directly on the waterfront, offering views of Victoria Harbour and is close to various tourist attractions. The hotel has 497 rooms and is considered a flagship property of Regent Hotels & Resorts and a landmark property within IHG Hotels & Resorts’ luxury and lifestyle portfolio.
The Clayton Hotel Amsterdam American, known for its Café Américain, on Leidseplein in Amsterdam, Netherlands, is a hotel and café restaurant with a Jugendstil reading room.
Principal Hotel Company is a British hotel and conference venue operator headquartered in Harrogate, England.
The InterContinental Toronto Centre is a hotel located in the downtown core of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre complex on Front Street West in the former Railway Lands. The hotel is managed by InterContinental Hotels.
Richard Leslie Solomons is a British businessman. He was the chief executive of InterContinental Hotels Group until July 2017, when he was succeeded by Keith Barr. He is currently Chair of Rentokil Initial.
ANA Hotels is a Japanese hotel chain established in 1973 by All Nippon Airways (ANA). In October 2006, ANA sold majority ownership of ANA Hotels to the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), which is now the primary shareholder. The managed properties of ANA Hotels are marketed under the ANA InterContinental, ANA Crowne Plaza, ANA Hotels and ANA Holiday Inn brands.
The Siam InterContinental Hotel was a luxury hotel in Bangkok, Thailand. It stood on Rama I Road, in the neighbourhood now known as Siam in Pathum Wan District, on land leased from Sa Pathum Palace. It opened as part of Pan Am's InterContinental hotel chain in 1966, operated by the Bangkok Intercontinental Hotels Company. It stood until 2002 when it was demolished to make way for the Siam Paragon shopping mall. The Siam InterContinental was Bangkok's first luxury international-brand hotel, and was also particularly known for the striking design of its main building, by American architect Joseph P. Salerno.
The Tirana InterContinental Hotel is a hotel located in Tirana, Albania on the corner between central Skanderbeg Square and Zogu I Boulevard. The tower shares the same hotelier complex with lower-rising Tirana International Hotel as an extension. Topped in 2023 and expected for opening in the first quarter of 2025, the hotel stands at 133.5 metres (438 ft) tall and is divided into 33 floors.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) 
Media related to InterContinental hotels at Wikimedia Commons
| Accor |
| ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Western | |||
| BTG Homeinns | |||
| Choice Hotels | |||
| Global Hotel Alliance | |||
| hihotels | |||
| Hilton | |||
| Huazhu |
| ||
| Hyatt | |||
| IHG | |||
| Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) | |||
| ITC Hotels | |||
| Jinjiang |
| ||
| Marriott (list) |
| ||
| Okura Nikko | |||
| Shangri-La | |||
| Sonesta |
| ||
| Wyndham | |||
| Others |
| ||
| Defunct |
| ||
