This affordable hotel brand has transformed itself – and the entire industry
“Necessity is the mother of invention”. These may have been the wise words of the great philosopher Plato, but in the realm of hotels, the 20th-century traveller and entrepreneur, Kemmons Wilson was its best exponent.
Lobby, Dandenong Holiday Inn.
In 1951, Wilson, a property investor, was on a road trip in the US from his home in Memphis to Washington with his young family when he became dismayed at the standard and price of accommodation available.
He decided to open his own, with the promise of a chain of clean, standardised, affordable and family-friendly properties. Holiday Inn was born and it changed everything for would-be travellers, making the notion of a great getaway achievable for those other than the wealthy. It also changed the hotel industry, providing a blueprint for chain operations, spawning competitors and leading the way on many innovations.
“There has been a real pioneering spirit,” says Dean Jones of IHG Hotels & Resorts, of which Holiday Inn is a part.
“Something we have seen from launching Holidex (the first computerised reservation system that allowed guests to book rooms at any Holiday Inn across the world), to the first hotel frequent guest program, being the first international hotel brand in China and even the first hotel brand to take a booking over the internet.”
Standard queen guest room, Holiday Inn Dandenong.
This family of well-located, affordable and comfortable hotels has been undergoing a shift recently and travellers in and to Australia have been the beneficiaries of this, with several new and renovated properties showing the virtues of Holiday Inn’s new direction.
“In the last two to three years we have opened some of the best examples of Holiday Inn hotels across the world,” says Jones.
One of those is the Holiday Inn Dandenong, a 124-room property in Melbourne’s outer south-east.
It has the chain’s new “open lobby” concept, its commitment to great connectivity, bright and welcoming design and trademark comfort and affordability.
“The introduction of Open Lobby was a milestone in offering very deliberate spaces that threw out the traditional lobby format, and became one, cohesive space combining the lobby, restaurant, bar, lounge and working hubs,” says Jones.
Wood-fired breakfast pizza, Dandelion Lounge Dandenong Holiday Inn
“You can see the evolution at our new Holiday Inn hotels in Australia and New Zealand, including Dandenong and Geelong (Victoria) that opened this year. Our eBars were also introduced as energetic working spaces for guests with integrated power and USB charging ports, as well as refreshed all-day dining concepts and grab-and-go options for guests on the run.”
The new look is smart and design-wise, he says “modern and flexible open spaces” are becoming a hallmark.
“For example, the Open Lobby in Holiday Inn Queenstown Remarkables Park (New Zealand) is reminiscent of an open-plan living room with its large fireplace, a media lounge, restaurant and bar, e-Bar and lounge chairs.
tra-spotholidayinn-060124 Holiday Inn Queenstown
“Design nods back to the Holiday Inn heritage are fantastic. In Werribee (Victoria) you’ll find subtle cues back to our first hotel opened in Memphis with art deco and pop art styles, geometric shapes and bright patterns.”
But, Jones says, some things won’t – and should never – change.
“The vision of Kemmons Wilson is one that lives on today, and that’s a wonderful thing. The brand was born on strong values to provide a modern, reliable and comfortable guest experience for the entire family – and this has never changed, even as we make bold changes to the lobby format or build new hotels in new destinations. Kemmons once said he founded Holiday Inn to enable “People Trips” and I think that’s a great anchor back to everything we do.”
See ihg.com
The writer stayed at Holiday Inn Dandenong as a guest of the hotel.
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