The world's biggest hotelier can beat the downturn, says its chief executive
There is a dinosaur in the lobby of the Intercontinental Hotel on London's Park Lane. A gorgosaurus, cousin of tyrannosaurus rex, looms over the bar and peers down at the guests sipping drinks.
I wonder if the prehistoric monster is somehow symbolic. Critics think that Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) the world's biggest hotelier, is a bit of a dinosaur. Its brands - Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza and, of course, Intercontinental itself - were exciting in the 1970s, when standardised hotels were a welcome novelty for business travellers.
These days the fashion is for boutique and different. And many hotels seem to be having a terrible time, with businesses and consumers tightening their belts and staying away in droves.
I will put this point to Andy Cosslett with some care. The Manchester-born boss of IHG is imposing - a tall, broad-shouldered former rugby player. Having come up through the tough management programmes at Unilever and Cadbury, he has a reputation for straight talking. For once the line about British hoteliers and Basil Fawlty doesn't fit.
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Source - Times Online
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