As president and executive director IHG hotels and resortsElie Maalouf has hands on the levers of industry that is transformed by technology, economy of loyalty and gravity withdrawal of large brands.
“There was always a mixture of local and global hospitality, but the game changed,” Maalouf said. “Today, regional players who want to go further need access to capital, technology and distribution networks that can only be provided by global brands.”
That decision – which has prevailed over 119 real estate for a franchise on a iMG machine – is applying a bigger story about what is happening on a fiercely independent catering scene in Europe.
A year and a half in the role, Maalouf sat down with a skipt for an exclusive interview on Investment Summit in America (Alis) in Los Angeles. The Executive Director covered the dynamics he sees that he drives more independent IHG, so that technological investments could give them a competitive advantage and why he is excited about Japan’s potential for the development of hotel (from medium to luxury).
Europe is a key market for a global hotel group like IHG. Only about 40% of the hotel inventory, states Costar’s p.
“We see a huge opportunity for growth in Europe, where independent hotels and regional chains realize that the competition in today’s digital landscape is incredibly expensive,” said Maalouf.
Instead of trying to buy IHG’s trip with a hard property, the group relies on a franchise model that emphasizes conversions, like November of November.
Novum’s decision was not just approaching them with a global distribution network. It was also about taking advantage of the technological ecosystem that would be forbidden to build expensively on your own.
In other words, the European hotel landscape requires mass investment in digital infrastructure. “It’s a kind of investment that is becoming increasingly difficult for regional hotel groups itself,” Maalouf said.
“How you communicate with the experience of travel from start to finish, it is now very digital,” Maalouf explained. “You expect you to explore and digitally book. You expect to be able to digitally report and go out, to look for services at the Digital Hotel, and so on.”
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His perennial switch to the cloud Amadej-jogging Central reservation system She was well documented by pre-paradise. Since then, the hotel group has continued to renew its technological set.
IHG has cheered what Maalouf calls the “leading guest reservation in the industry” throughout the world. Software allows all its hotels to sell rooms as well as specific “attributes” – floors, views, experiences – Before the guest even goes through the lobby.
Maalouf said he developed systems aimed at AI that indicate the potential problems of guests and provide an assessment of real -time feedback before becoming TripAdvisor Fodder.
“If you wait for the survey after leaving, you have already lost the opportunity to reverse your stay,” he said. “The key is to solve the problem while the guest is still in the house.”
The new AI revenue revenue management system, which is already allocated in almost 3,500 properties, helps optimize the prices in real time. The company even re -placed its content management system to allow translation into multiple languages and delivery of the content of the rich media.
IHG also pushed the franchise according to the renovation, offering information on what updates would have the greatest impact on the satisfaction and income of the guest.
Maintenance of consistent quality in all real estate is crucial for a company that hosts about one million guests per night.
“Even if we are 99.9% precise in providing user service, it is still a thousand people who were not very satisfied,” Maalouf notes.
In China, IHG even experimenting with robots in hundreds of hotels using them to deliver towels and drinks. Maalouf quickly called it as a practical solution for labor shortages.
IHG One Rewards, a company’s loyalty program, is another pillar of Maalouf’s vision. When he took power, Ihg lags behind competitors in the points of points.
Skift noted that, ten years ago, IHG had the most members in the loyalty program of any group, but since then (even before Maalouf’s term), he fell to third place after Marriott and Hilton. At the end of 2024, the company was on its way to the end of the year with about 145 million members, while Marriott and Hilton had over 200 million.
“What really matters is the number of members per room,” Maalouf said. “Some hotel companies have fewer rooms than us. Some companies have more space. For fair comparisons, you have to look at the share of members around the room. It is IHG One Rewards is there with everyone and it grows quickly.”
“What is also important is not just how many members you have – it is how many of them really stay with you,” the executive director said.
Almost 70% of IHG rooms in “America” now originate from members of loyalty, which is 10 percentage points compared to 2019 (globally, the figure is 60%.) The levels are approximately comparable to what his peer companies are reported. The share is important. Direct reservations of fidelity members avoid commissions that charge online passenger agencies.
According to Maalouf, the recent gain of IHG membership is owed to the personalization of Tech. The program allows guests to tweak their perquets in a way that others do not.
IHG’s growth engine is not all high thread luxury. Among its 19 brands, Holiday Inn Express remains a golden goose company. The brand won the upper medium significance segment with ruthless efficiency. With more than 3,200 hotels around the world, it is reliable, without any bets for passengers and money for franchises.
“It’s a brand that echoes in markets because it provides a consistent, high quality experience at a price that works,” Maalouf said.
Accordingly, IHG luxury and life brands grew in prominent, which made up 20% of the group pipelines – twice over five years ago. Six senses, Regent and Kimpton brands continue to set a high mark, with new projects in sought after destinations such as Santa Monica, Telluride and Maldives.
Regent Santa Monica Beach, with its top dining rooms and dormitories, is a great example of IHG’s pushing into ultra-luxury space, Maalouf said.
In the meantime, six senses are expanding in America and Europe, exploiting growing demand for sustainable luxury guided experience.
“We doubled the luxury and lifestyle, knowing that guests want more than a hotel today-they want a whole impressive experience,” Maalouf said.
Exhibition A: If now the biggest playground is on the market, Japan is a drowsy giant to spread. The country’s hotel industry was historically independent, with only a very small percentage of its total inventory related to global brand.
“Japan has been guided by the domestic market for a long time, but that changes,” Maalouf said. “There is a ton of brand growth space and we are ready to bring out our solutions to the table.”
The company recently expanded its Mark Garner to Japan, entering the middle niche that international players were not sufficiently reported.
Maalouf begins his days at 5am by exercising (twice a week, riding external running when he allows his schedule). He joked that maintaining health is similar to the management of brands – consistency is crucial.
The IHG run is not a job, so he tries to practice even while on the road. In recent weeks, he has traveled from Shanghai to Hong Kong, Tokyo and Singapore, reviewing real estate, meeting with regional teams and speaking at events.
Maalouf said he was still learning, given that he had been in the hotel industry for a decade. He had previously worked at the Weyerhaeuser Company Real Estate Company and as an advisor to McKinsey.
“In this business I am learning something in this business – more things a day,” Maalouf thought. “It’s just something to learn from our colleagues, from the owner, from journalists. And I get a lot of life and stimulation from him – the process of getting to know everything in this business.”
Maalouf’s goal for IHG is similar. He expects his team to develop in response to the latest trends and intelligence.
“Our job is to create a long-term value-for guests, owners and our partners,” Maalouf said. “The industry changes and we plan to lead that change.”
Hotels will start selling so much more than rooms
The hotel industry is finally captured by airlines in the art of Internet sales, and new technological investments should be unlocked by billions of auxiliary revenues.
What do I look at? Hotel performance and short -term stock of renting sector within ST200. The index includes companies that are publicly traded in global markets, including international and regional hotel stamps, hotel reit -likes, hotel management companies, alternative accommodation and time share.
