Intercontinental Hotel Group has launched a new high-end brand that will combine the informality and charm of an individual hotel, with the quality and reassurance of a global and respected brand.
The roll-out of the new Voco brand launched by IHG will begin in the group’s Europe, Middle East, Asia & Africa (EMEAA) region, with plans to take it to the Americas and Greater China over time. The first signing for the Voco brand outside of Europe will be the Watermark Hotel & Spa Gold Coast, Australia. The 388-room hotel is located at the heart of Surfers Paradise, a few steps away from the beach, and offers business travellers two swimming pools and 800sqm of meeting space. The hotel is due to open under the Voco flag in late 2018.
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“We’ve talked about the significant growth opportunity we see for IHG in upscale and Voco will help us deliver against this,” says Keith Barr, chief executive officer, IHG. “Guests will be able to enjoy the appeal of a more individual hotel, alongside the reassurance of a name above the door that they trust. The versatility of the brand means a Voco hotel can retain and celebrate all of the elements that make that existing hotel successful.”
The Voco brand promises guests an experience that is reliably different, brought to life through a bold, distinctive identity, informal service style and thoughtful touches along the guest journey. Three critical moments on the guest journey have been identified through deep customer insight where Voco can create a compelling guest experience that will differentiate the brand and can be consistently applied across a broad range of individual properties.
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These moments include a signature welcome experience, swift and simple check-in with an unexpected, locally-influenced treat to kick-off a guest’s stay; encouraging guests to take a moment for themselves with extra cosy beds and bedding, quality bathroom amenities, rejuvenating aerated showers, a variety of viewing content on Smart TVs and excellent connectivity in every room; and Voco life, vibrant and sociable bar and lounge spaces that work for different moments of the day, so that guests always have space to relax and enjoy themselves, from offering a great coffee to start the day or shareable and classic dishes in the evening that provide something to talk about afterwards.
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