IHG Hotels & Resorts has updated its design palette for its Crowne Plaza hotels, with the latest look now there for guests to experience at a growing number of the brand’s hotels across the Americas.
The upscale brand is a staple for IHG, having long been a key driver of strong occupancy and a supporter of key business travel accounts. The makeover ensures that, in a world where the brand landscape is getting ever more crowded, for Crowne Plaza guests there remains a clear brand differentiation.
A fresh take on public spaces
The Crowne Plaza New Modern design has reimagined public and guest spaces, aiming to provide clear zones for those in the space to identify spaces for productivity, restoration and collaboration. In the guest rooms, a layout featuring a thoughtful furniture arrangement helps to make a smoother transition from those spaces designed for work, to the relaxation space.
Since the pandemic, “bleisure”, or the blending of work and leisure activities and trips has become a phenomenon increasingly to the fore. This blurring of the lines is reflected in updates to the communal areas of Crowne Plaza, where visitors and guests will find a flexibility in design and style that means work and leisure areas are all equally relevant, for individual focused work or a collaborative meeting – with choices of sustenance in the form of a wide variety of food and drink options.
“As the once firm lines between business and leisure travel blur further, Crowne Plaza remains a trusted leader at the forefront of serving the new blended traveller,” commented Ginger Taggart, vice president of brand management for IHG’s premium brands, “Our latest design approach introduces more inviting gathering spaces that inspire connection and enable guests to balance business and social interaction. This transformation of our estate further strengthens the Crowne Plaza offering, and we’ll continue to explore avenues to welcome guests and communities while optimising return potential for owners.”
Rolling out changes across the portfolio
The process of updating hotels is ongoing, and the group expects around 70% of Crowne Plazas across the Americas will have been refreshed by the end of 2025. Among those recently refurbished are the Crowne Plaza Virginia Beach Town Centre, the 588 room Crowne Plaza at Louisville Airport Expo Centre, and the Crowne Plaza Seattle Downtown, which was subject to a major refit running through multiple phases and completing at the end of 2024.
A newcomer to the brand, the Crowne Plaza Niagara Falls NY Riverside was ideal for the New Modern treatment, as it was onboarded into the IHG system. Owner Merani Holdings oversaw the transformation of the 141 room hotel.
Crowne Plaza remains one of the industry’s largest premium hotel brands, with over 400 hotels open in major destinations around the world. It has a strong pipeline adding up to more than 36,000 rooms in nearly 150 hotels. Among that number are several hotels preparing for an opening in the next few months, including a 22 storey hotel in New York’s Times Square, a 230 room addition in Mexico and a Crowne Plaza in Saint John, New Brunswick, where guests can enjoy views across the harbour.
