IHG’s first UK Vignette hotel targets Liverpool luxury gap

IHG is launching the first vignette collection hotel in the UK in the city of Liverpool in the third quarter of this year. Vignette Collection, the sixth brand acquired by IHG in recent years, was launched in August 2021.

The advantage of this collection brand for the owners of independent luxury and lifestyle hotels is that they can “benefit from the power of IHG’s system, revenue support and our loyalty members,” said senior director development at IHG Matt Walton.

Since the launch, IHG has signed and opened over 20 hotels, starting with Hotel X in Brisbane. The idea behind the collection is that “not one guest experience is the same, every single hotel is unique”.

IHG chose Liverpool for their UK launch because it identified it as a gap in the luxury and lifestyle segment. The city “continues to grow as a destination for both international and domestic travellers and from a leisure corporate side,” Walton stated.

Long term investment is a driving factor too: “we want to be a part of the community long-term” to create jobs and the new launch further commits IHG to Liverpool, complementing the assets they already possess there.

Walton believes that despite the recent turbulent times, “hotels as an asset class are extremely resilient”. IHG has learnt lessons in how to operate, both in terms of investment and guest experience.

Construction and development became far more difficult due to Covid-19 because of financing and because of supply chain issues, but “if you’ve got a really strong location with a really strong management team, advisors, and a brand behind it, these deals and the appetite for further investment is there,” said Walton.

With the IHG’s nine recent signings in the UK and Ireland, that shows “where investors’ appetite” and the potential for growth is, whether that’s in terms of guests in hotels or investors trading hotels.

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