Home » HOTEL NEWS » IHG Hotels & Resorts Boosts Global Footprint by Nearly Doubling Hotel Conversions from 2023 to 2024 Through Strategic Brand Positioning and Powerful Commercial Support

Thursday, May 29, 2025

IHG Hotels & Resorts (IHG) is capitalizing on a dynamic growth strategy that combines quick-to-market hotel conversions with a powerful commercial engine and attractive brand offerings. This approach is proving highly successful, driving significant expansion for IHG and its property owners worldwide. Between 2023 and 2024, the total number of global hotel conversions signed by IHG nearly doubled, signaling robust momentum in this area of the business.

Hotel conversions have become an increasingly popular route for owners who want to quickly tap into IHG’s extensive enterprise. By converting existing hotels to IHG brands, owners gain rapid access to the company’s comprehensive resources, including marketing, advanced technology, distribution channels, and a vast loyalty program boasting more than 145 million IHG One Rewards members. In fact, conversion properties accounted for around 60 percent of IHG’s global hotel openings and 40 percent of signings in the first quarter of 2025 alone—underlining the pivotal role conversions play in the company’s expansion strategy.

Diverse Brand Portfolio Drives Conversion Success
IHG’s varied portfolio of soft and premium brands is a key factor behind the surge in conversions. Among its soft brands, the Vignette Collection and voco hotels stood out with record numbers of openings and signings in 2024. Meanwhile, the recently acquired Ruby brand adds flexibility for owners interested in conversions and adaptive reuse projects within the urban lifestyle market. On the midscale front, the Garner hotels brand continues to attract owners and guests by offering quality accommodations at affordable prices with fast ramp-up times.

The Vignette Collection targets independent luxury and lifestyle hotels that seek to maintain their unique character and style while benefiting from the strength of IHG’s global enterprise. Since its launch in 2021, Vignette Collection has been growing rapidly and is on track to nearly triple its portfolio in the coming years. Impressively, the brand is already more than 60 percent toward its goal of onboarding 100 hotels within its first decade. After opening its first property in the Americas—located in Washington, D.C.—in 2023, Vignette has expanded its footprint with recent openings in Lima and San Francisco and new signings in key markets like Japan, France, and Germany.

Jolyon Bulley, Chief Executive Officer, Americas at IHG, said: “Owners’ growing interest in converting hotels to IHG brands signals that they continue to see tremendous value in our brands and the ability to plug into IHG’s powerful enterprise system. While new build development always will remain important globally, our broad portfolio of soft brands and those that are conducive for conversions across the chain scales give owners more choice and avenues for success.”

In the premium segment, voco hotels has emerged as IHG’s fastest-growing brand. It invites travelers to “come on in” and experience consistently thoughtful hospitality paired with unique local charm. Voco aims to grow to 200 open or pipeline hotels globally by 2028. Its recent momentum includes openings across the Americas—in cities such as Atlanta, Tucson, Arizona, and Laguna Hills, California—and fresh signings across Greater China, with plans to debut in Canada, Aruba, and Türkiye.

Garner Hotels Accelerates Midscale Conversion Growth
Launched in August 2023, Garner hotels has quickly become a favorite for owners pursuing midscale conversions. With over 120 hotels already open or in the pipeline, Garner is poised to quadruple its global footprint in the coming years. The brand’s appeal lies in its competitive conversion costs per key, flexible design standards, and significantly reduced pre-opening expenses thanks to a streamlined conversion process. Garner’s recent openings include its 11th Americas property in Panama City Beach, Florida, along with new launches in Germany, Italy, and Japan. The brand’s expansion plans also include signings that will introduce Garner hotels to Canada, Türkiye, and additional international markets.

Ruby Brand Brings Urban Micro Hotels to Major Cities
In early 2025, IHG completed the acquisition of the premium urban lifestyle brand Ruby, marking its 20th global brand addition. Ruby adds more than 30 hotels to IHG’s portfolio, specializing in an innovative “urban micro” hotel concept that suits new builds, conversions, and adaptive reuse projects—often repurposing former office buildings and unconventional commercial spaces. This model has gained strong traction in major European cities, with several openings already showcasing Ruby’s adaptability and design. IHG plans to launch Ruby franchising in the U.S. later this year and targets over 120 Ruby hotels worldwide within the next decade, with new signings in Copenhagen, Berlin, and Geneva already underway.

A Winning Formula for Growth and Owner Success
IHG’s focus on conversions backed by a robust brand lineup and a comprehensive support system is reshaping its global footprint. The ability for owners to quickly convert properties while tapping into IHG’s powerful marketing, loyalty, and operational platforms is proving to be a winning formula. With multiple brands catering to different market segments—from luxury lifestyle to midscale affordability and urban micro concepts—IHG continues to offer flexible options that meet evolving owner and guest demands.

As IHG advances through 2025 and beyond, its strong momentum in hotel conversions combined with strategic brand growth positions it to capture significant market share and deliver long-term value to owners and travelers alike.

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