ATLANTA–IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) has officially opened its first avid hotel property—the 87-room avid hotel Oklahoma City-Quail Springs. This first hotel opened 199 days after groundbreaking, and one year after launching the brand.
IHG’s newest mainstream hotel brand was created to meet the needs of 14 million travelers who are currently underserved in this $20 billion market segment, according to the company’s research. The brand was designed with input from both target consumers and an Owner Advisory Board of leading IHG hotel owners. With their input, IHG designed the avid hotels experience to deliver exactly what guests have been waiting for in a mainstream hotel while making the properties easy to build, operate, and maintain. The hotels have modern design, eye-catching colors, and natural light.
The brand first location in Quail Springs outside of Oklahoma City is owned and operated by Champion Hotels, the largest privately-owned hotel operator in the United States.
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“Opening our first avid hotels property less than a year after the brand launch is an important milestone for IHG,” Elie Maalouf, CEO, The Americas, IHG, says. “We worked closely with our Owner Advisory Board, including leading owners such as Champion Hotels, to develop a brand that is just right for both guests and owners. The strong momentum of avid hotels, with more than 130 hotel deals already signed across the U.S., Canada and Mexico, firmly positions the brand as a long-term driver of growth for IHG in the Americas.”
Champ Patel, president of Champion Hotels, adds, “We have been involved with the development of avid hotels from the very beginning and the IHG team listened to feedback from the Owner Advisory Board to ensure the avid brand will be compelling for owners, and for travelers looking for a high-quality stay experience. Because of this, we believe in the strength of the avid hotels brand and are proud to open the first hotel in Oklahoma City.”
Every avid hotels property will be a new-build to give travelers a consistent experience. The avid hotels guest experience is focused on four areas. First, the hotel rooms are designed to optimize the sleep experience with a high-quality mattress and linens, choice of firm and soft pillows, blackout roller shades, and a design that reduces noise. Second, the brand focuses on providing a fresh breakfast with a select number of brand-name options for guests to grab-and-go or eat in the lobby. As part of that, the hotels provide individually brewed, bean-to-cup coffee. Third, the hotels incorporate the latest technology, including IHG Connect WiFi and IHG Studio, which allows guests to directly cast entertainment from their personal devices to 55” TVs in each guestroom. Lastly, the brand has created the “avid hotels Guarantee”—a promise that the room will be ‘just right’ upon arrival so guests can be confident they have made the right decision. If the room does not meet the Guarantee standards upon check-in, the hotel will offer an immediate room change. If there is not another available room, the guest will not be charged for that night’s room and tax.
I have been working with IHG for 38 years, WOW have things changed for the better. I would love to work at the new AVID hotels.