Explore Intercontinental Group Hotels

Last Updated on July 25, 2026 by Daniel Globe

IHG Hotels & Resorts is one of the world’s largest hotel companies, but the naming can be confusing. InterContinental Hotels & Resorts is only one luxury brand within the wider IHG portfolio, which also includes Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Kimpton, Staybridge Suites, and many others. This guide explains the company’s history, current brands, amenities, loyalty program, global reach, and what travelers should check before booking.

What Is IHG Hotels & Resorts?

IHG Hotels & Resorts is a global hospitality company whose legal holding company is InterContinental Hotels Group PLC. The phrase “Intercontinental Group Hotels” is commonly used online, but it is not the company’s official brand name.

The distinction matters because not every IHG property is an InterContinental hotel or a luxury hotel. InterContinental Hotels & Resorts sits in IHG’s Luxury & Lifestyle segment, while brands such as Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, avid hotels, Staybridge Suites, and Candlewood Suites serve different price points and trip types.

IHG mainly franchises its brands or manages hotels for third-party owners. That means individual properties may differ in design, ownership, dining, fees, and amenities while still following the standards of their IHG brand. Travelers should therefore compare the exact hotel page rather than assume that every property offers the same facilities.

History and Background of IHG Hotels & Resorts

IHG’s history combines several hospitality businesses and brands rather than one continuous hotel chain. According to the company’s official history, the key milestones include:

• 1946: Pan American Airways founder Juan Trippe founded the InterContinental brand to provide high-quality accommodation for international air travelers.
• 1949: The first InterContinental hotel opened in Belém, Brazil.
• 1952: The first Holiday Inn opened in Memphis, Tennessee.
• 1988–1990: Bass entered the hotel business through Holiday Inn and then gained full control of the brand.
• 1998: Bass acquired InterContinental Hotels & Resorts.
• 2003: InterContinental Hotels Group PLC became a standalone company after Six Continents plc separated its businesses.
• 2021: The master brand became IHG Hotels & Resorts, reflecting a broader family of hotel brands.
• 2026: IHG introduced Noted Collection as its 21st brand.

This history explains why IHG includes brands with different origins, identities, and target guests. The InterContinental name remains important, but the wider company now serves far more than the luxury market.

IHG Hotel Brands and Accommodation Options

IHG groups its portfolio into several segments. The official IHG brand directory currently lists the following brands:

The right brand depends on the trip. InterContinental, Regent, and Six Senses suit travelers seeking luxury service or destination experiences. Crowne Plaza often appeals to business and group travelers. Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express focus on dependable essentials, although they are separate brands with different breakfast and service models. Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites are designed for longer stays and usually provide more residential-style features.

Amenities and Services at IHG Hotels

Property details can change. Verify current opening hours, services, and fees on the hotel’s official page before booking.

Common IHG hotel amenities may include Wi-Fi, fitness centers, restaurants, meeting rooms, room service, parking, pools, spas, business services, and concierge assistance. However, none of these should be assumed across the entire group. A city-center hotel may have no pool, while a resort may offer several pools, a spa, children’s activities, and multiple restaurants.

Breakfast policies also differ. Holiday Inn Express commonly includes breakfast in the room rate, while a standard Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, or InterContinental property may charge separately unless the booked rate or loyalty benefit includes it. Parking, resort fees, pet fees, and airport transfers can also vary by location.

Culinary Experiences at IHG Hotels

Dining ranges from limited-service breakfast areas to destination restaurants led by well-known chefs. Luxury and lifestyle hotels may offer several restaurants, cocktail bars, afternoon tea, tasting menus, rooftop venues, or local culinary experiences. Essential-service and extended-stay brands may offer a simpler breakfast, grab-and-go options, lobby markets, or kitchen facilities instead.

Local character is often strongest at brands such as Hotel Indigo, Kimpton, InterContinental, Six Senses, and Vignette Collection, where menus may reflect the surrounding neighborhood or region. Even so, dining quality, opening hours, dress codes, reservation requirements, and whether food is included all depend on the specific property.

Travelers with allergies or dietary restrictions should contact the hotel directly before arrival. A hotel may offer vegetarian, vegan, halal, kosher, gluten-aware, or allergen-sensitive choices, but availability and kitchen procedures are not uniform across the portfolio.

IHG’s Location and Global Presence

IHG operates across major business centers, highway markets, airports, resort destinations, and secondary cities. As of March 31, 2026, the company reported 7,014 open hotels, 1,035,589 rooms, and 2,347 hotels in its development pipeline. IHG also states that its network spans more than 100 countries.

IHG passed 7,000 open hotels in early 2026, giving travelers options across luxury, premium, essential-service, suite, and beachfront resort categories.

The largest concentration of properties is not limited to famous InterContinental hotels in global capitals. Much of IHG’s scale comes from widely distributed brands such as Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Staybridge Suites, and Candlewood Suites. This makes the portfolio useful for both high-end international trips and everyday domestic travel.

How to Choose the Right IHG Hotel

1. Match the brand to the trip. Choose a luxury or lifestyle brand for a destination experience, a premium brand for business or upscale leisure, an essentials brand for a practical stay, or a suites brand for more space and a longer visit.
2. Compare the exact location. Check distance from airports, train stations, convention centers, attractions, and public transportation rather than relying only on the city name.
3. Review the full price. Look beyond the nightly rate and account for taxes, parking, breakfast, resort or destination fees, pet fees, and cancellation restrictions.
4. Verify must-have amenities. Confirm pool access, spa hours, fitness facilities, connecting rooms, kitchens, laundry, accessibility features, and airport transport.
5. Check the room description. Room size, bed type, view, lounge access, and maximum occupancy can differ significantly within the same hotel.
6. Compare cash and points. IHG One Rewards members should compare the paid rate with the points required and consider whether elite benefits apply to that booking.

IHG One Rewards and Guest Benefits

The current loyalty program is IHG One Rewards, not IHG Rewards Club. Membership is free. Members can earn points on eligible stays and redeem them for Reward Nights and other options. IHG says members generally earn 10 points per US dollar at most IHG hotels and 5 points per US dollar at Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites, subject to program terms.

Milestone Rewards provide choices after reaching certain annual night totals. Depending on the milestone, options can include bonus points, food and beverage rewards, confirmable suite upgrades, or annual lounge membership. Lounge access is therefore not an automatic benefit for every elite member or every stay.

Reward Night pricing can vary by hotel and date. Taxes, destination fees, and incidental charges may still apply depending on the property and local rules. Members should read the current program terms, especially when booking partner properties such as participating Iberostar Beachfront Resorts or newly integrated brands.

Environmental and Social Responsibility Initiatives

IHG organizes its responsible-business work under Journey to Tomorrow, a 10-year plan aligned with the company’s “True Hospitality for Good” purpose. The plan covers five areas: people, communities, carbon and energy, waste, and water.

• People: Building an inclusive culture, supporting wellbeing, and advancing human rights.
• Communities: Working toward improving the lives of 30 million people through skills, disaster response, food security, and partnerships.
• Carbon and energy: Reducing energy use and emissions, supporting lower-carbon hotels, and increasing the role of renewable energy.
• Waste: Reducing single-use items, limiting food waste, and supporting reusable, recyclable, or circular alternatives.
• Water: Improving water efficiency and supporting water stewardship in higher-risk areas.

Because most IHG hotels are owned by third parties, implementation can differ by property and market. Travelers who prioritize sustainability should look for hotel-specific certifications, low-carbon initiatives, refillable bathroom amenities, EV charging, public-transit access, and published environmental practices rather than relying only on group-level commitments.

What to Check Before Booking an IHG Hotel

• The exact brand and property name, especially in cities with several IHG hotels
• Cancellation deadline, deposit requirement, and whether the rate is refundable
• Breakfast inclusion and restaurant operating hours
• Parking location, daily cost, vehicle-height limits, and in-and-out privileges
• Pool, spa, lounge, and fitness-center availability during the stay
• Pet rules, weight limits, cleaning fees, and service-animal policies
• Accessible room features and accessible routes to public areas
• Resort, destination, facility, or local government fees
• Airport shuttle availability and operating times
• IHG One Rewards participation and which benefits apply to the booked rate

For travelers planning a hotel stay, the original article also recommends this guide to the best travel gifts for women.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the InterContinental Group of Hotels?

The official company name is IHG Hotels & Resorts, with InterContinental Hotels Group PLC as the legal holding company. InterContinental Hotels & Resorts is one luxury brand within IHG’s wider portfolio.

What hotel brands are part of IHG?

IHG’s 21-brand portfolio includes Six Senses, Regent, InterContinental, Vignette Collection, Kimpton, Hotel Indigo, Noted Collection, voco, Ruby, HUALUXE, Crowne Plaza, EVEN Hotels, Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn, Garner, avid hotels, Atwell Suites, Staybridge Suites, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, Candlewood Suites, and the exclusive-partner category Iberostar Beachfront Resorts.

How many IHG hotels are there?

IHG reported 7,014 open hotels and 1,035,589 rooms as of March 31, 2026. The network spans more than 100 countries, and the number changes as hotels open, close, or convert between brands.

Is every IHG hotel a luxury hotel?

No. IHG covers several market segments. InterContinental, Regent, and Six Senses are luxury brands, while Crowne Plaza and voco are premium brands, Holiday Inn Express and avid hotels focus on essentials, and Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites serve longer stays.

Do IHG hotels include free breakfast?

It depends on the brand, property, rate, and loyalty benefit. Holiday Inn Express and Staybridge Suites commonly include breakfast, while many full-service IHG hotels charge separately unless breakfast is part of the booked package or an eligible Diamond Elite welcome amenity.

Do all InterContinental hotels have a pool and spa?

No. Amenities vary by property. For example, InterContinental New York Times Square does not list a pool, while InterContinental Sydney has an indoor pool. Always check the official hotel page for current facilities and operating hours.

What is IHG One Rewards?

IHG One Rewards is IHG’s free loyalty program. Members can earn and redeem points, access member rates, receive free internet, and qualify for elite benefits such as bonus points, upgrades, welcome amenities, and Milestone Rewards, subject to program rules.

Where are IHG hotels located?

IHG hotels operate in more than 100 countries across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Greater China, Asia, and the Pacific. Properties include airport hotels, city-center hotels, highway locations, extended-stay hotels, and destination resorts.

Sources

1. IHG Hotels & Resorts corporate homepage — current hotel, room, and pipeline figures
2. IHG official brand portfolio — current brands and portfolio segments
3. IHG official history — InterContinental, Holiday Inn, Bass, and IHG timeline
4. How IHG’s business works — franchised, managed, and owned hotel model
5. IHG One Rewards tier benefits — membership levels and current benefits
6. Journey to Tomorrow — IHG’s responsible-business priorities and 2030 plan