InterContinental Hotels Group has been in the process of enforcing strict guidelines for its Holiday Inn brand of hotels for a while now and is requiring its individual property owners/managers to make upgrades to adhere to its brand guidelines. The chain expects to lose about 300 lodgings by the end of 2010 according the an LA Times story.
A brand represents a set of expectations and Holiday Inn guests have not exactly always known what to expect. Maybe they would check into a property with outside access rooms and a 1970's style room layout with a stale smoke smell or maybe they would get a modern room complete with comfy workspace and flat screen TV.
Holiday Inn is doing a wise thing by telling its customers what they can and should expect and then telling individual property operators to make sure they deliver on those expectations. There may be some pain in the short term but in the long run owners and customers alike will benefit by a strengthened Holiday Inn brand.
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