IHG Hotels & Resorts enhances hybrid meetings

In 2020, IHG Hotels & Resorts introduced its Meet with Confidence programme to support the changing needs of meeting planners. Now the Meet with Confidence programme has expanded to include resources, technology and tools for hybrid events.

These hybrid capabilities can simultaneously connect multiple hotel locations to regional and global business and leisure events through live streaming, creating more shared experiences for virtual and in-person attendees.

Bookers and planners can choose from two hybrid events solutions – Smart and Expert – to plan the right experience for in-person and virtual attendees across one or multiple locations.

Smart Solution: The Smart Solution is available at participating IHG Hotels & Resorts globally, except in Greater China, offering tech-enabled tools and software to meet the demands for in-person and virtual attendees.

It includes IHG Way of Clean: with enhanced cleanliness, social distancing and safety measures implemented at all hotels.

Expert Solution: Initially available at nearly 100 hotels in the U.S., Europe, the Middle East and Asia, planners can choose to enhance the Smart Solution with additional services, including:

Virtual technology experiences: Planners can utilise a full suite of hybrid meeting capabilities allowing in-person and virtual attendees to connect, in addition to advanced audio-visual production and multi-venue linking, working with technology partners encore and weframe.

 Fifteen IHG Hotels in Europe have implemented the Expert Solution including Kimpton Fitzroy London, InterContinental Berlin and Crowne Plaza Amsterdam – South.

All these hotels offer a full suite of hybrid meeting capabilities with advanced AV production to deliver multi-venue linking connections. 

The Smart Solution, available at participating hotels, features a flexible offer for events booked by 30 June 2021 that meet or stay by 31 December  2021 and are 10 – 50 rooms on peak, with no cancellation fees, no attrition fees for rooms that are not booked, and up to a 5% rebate towards the master bill.

It also includes IHG Business Rewards for planners and bookers, and streamlined contracting through use of a short-form contract.

Derek DeCross, Senior Vice President, Global Sales, IHG Hotels & Resorts, said: "There is a strong desire to return to face-to-face meetings, and welcoming groups back to our hotels is going to take a team effort from those planning events."

"We’re committed to helping provide quality meeting experiences to give the attendees the confidence they need to feel secure attending in-person events."

To limit the contact with hotel teams, IHG offers digital check-in/check-out at thousands of hotels.

Source: IHG PR