IHG celebrates 60 years in Australia
Group rings in suite of Diamond anniversary celebrations - Tim Tam Slices et al!
Marking an impressive 60 years since a legendary InterContinental property became the first international hotel in the country, IHG Hotels & Resorts (IHG) has announced it will stage a series of Diamond Anniversary events and celebrations in August and continuing through to the end of the year.
Hotel teams across the estate will be celebrating this incredible milestone in their own style with events and surprise and delight for guests – including a special edition 60th Anniversary IHG Tim Tam Slice that was created by the InterContinental Hayman Island team as a nod to another Aussie icon that was born around the same time.
There will also be a social media series with video messages from current colleagues and people who have worked for the group across the past 60 years – including Keith Barr, IHG’s current global CEO who led the Australasia, NZ and Pacific region from 2006-2009, and Tony South, who led Bass Hotels in Australia following the acquisition of SPHC.
The Diamond celebration theme is particularly apt in 2022 as IHG launched its new global loyalty program in April – IHG One Rewards – which features an all-new Diamond Tier with exceptional benefits for its members.
The legacy was launched in Australia by US airline Pan Am, founder of the InterContinental brand, with the opening of the renowned and much-loved InterContinental Southern Cross Hotel Melbourne, which opened on 14 August 1962 and was lauded as one of the most luxurious hotels of its time.
As the first American-style hotel in town, it attracted celebrity guests, royalty and rockstars, including Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, Princes Charles and Princes Dianna, Rock Hudson and Marlene Dietrich. However, the hotel is arguably most remembered for the Beatles visit in 1964 when the street outside was awash with screaming fans.
This pioneering spirit – which lives on the in IHG legacy to this day – continued in the decades that followed with the Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza brands arriving in the market. These brands, along with InterContinental which continued to attract the jet-setting era of well-heeled travellers, grew steadily across the country with hotels in destinations such as Cairns, Cable Beach, Hamilton Island, Newcastle, Melbourne and Sydney.
Bass Hotels & Resorts (which has its own impressive heritage dating back to 1777) acquired the Holiday Inn and InterContinental brands in the 1980s and ‘90s respectively, and dramatically increased the presence of these world-class brands in Australia after it acquired Southern Pacific Hotels Corporation (SPHC) in 2000 and transitioned its Parkroyal and Centra brands.
In the same year, Bass spun off its hotels business, which became known as Six Continents, before rebranding to InterContinental Hotels Group in 2003 and finally becoming IHG Hotels & Resorts – as we know it today – in 2021.
SVP Managing Director for IHG Hotels & Resorts – Japan, Australasia & Pacific, Leanne Harwood, said she was proud to be celebrating an incredible milestone for a company that she loves dearly, and has such a special place in the hearts of the many people who have been part of the journey over the 60 amazing years.
“This really is a wonderful time of celebration, reflection and excitement about the future as we come into our ‘Diamond Era’ for IHG,” she said.
“I’m very grateful to have the opportunity to lead IHG here in this market today, but there are so many who have been a part of our deep heritage and continued our pioneering spirit to pave the way before me.
“This anniversary is a chance for us to give back and say thank you. Thank you to our colleagues, thank you to owners, thank you to our past leaders and thank you to our loyal guests, who have been with us on this exciting journey.
“We couldn’t wish for a more iconic property to have marked the launch of our long and impressive history in Australia and, while the Southern Cross Hotel may no longer with us, its legacy lives on in the iconic properties we continue to open with our owners today and we’re so very honoured to be celebrating this 60-year milestone with our colleagues, owners and guests”.
“Now, as we honour the wonderful legacy of our brands here in Australia, we also look ahead to a very bright future indeed. With 100 open or pipeline hotels across Australasia, we’re growing faster than ever and opening amazing hotels under new brands like Kimpton, Hotel Indigo, voco and Vignette Collection, as well as continuing to grow our beloved Holiday Inn band family, Crowne Plaza and InterContinental brands.”
Congratulating IHG on its accomplishment, Accommodation Association (AA) CEO, Richard Munro said the group and its portfolio of well-known brands have been such an integral part of the accommodation sector’s growth and the reputation of our people for going above and beyond to deliver amazing experiences.
“At an organisational level, the Accommodation Association also benefits from the leadership of IHG Hotels and Resorts’ SVP Managing Director for Japan, Australasia and the Pacific, Leanne Harwood as our President,” he said.
“It’s an absolute delight to acknowledge and congratulate every single person who has played a role in IHG’s growth over the past 60 years in Australia.”
“Our sector continues to evolve each and every day thanks to the ongoing innovation and investment of our members in creating world-class accommodation and supporting one of Australia’s most important economic drivers, our tourism sector.”
Mike Parker-Brown is a UK-trained and qualified journalist and an award-winning travel communicator with more than 30 years experience.
Since 2002, Mike has worked as a freelance writer and PR consultant providing his services to major organisations in Australia and internationally in the tourism, aviation, hospitality, recruitment and export marketing sectors.
