IHG and SAMHI conduct exclusive survey into road warriors’ travel considerations across top five metros
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), one of the world’s leading hotel companies, announced results of a survey conducted in conjunction with SAMHI to understand the challenges and considerations of road warriors in India today. The survey was conducted by Nielsen India in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad with 25-44 year old respondents who travel largely for business across India.
The survey concludes that finding a hotel in the right location is one of the most challenging aspects of planning their trips. This challenge is further highlighted by the respondents when ranking the most important attributes when booking a hotel for the trip. 29 per cent of respondents ranked ‘location of the hotel’ as the most important attribute to feel confident to succeed while on a business trip.
The next most important attribute was ‘comfort of the stay’ ranked in second place with 18 per cent of respondents selecting it as the most important consideration for booking their hotel. Both attributes were ranked amongst 12 attributes in total including price and amenities.
Vivek Bhalla, regional vice president, South West Asia, IHG commented on the survey, “All our market studies to date have shown that location is a key consideration for travellers in the mid-market segment. This survey confirms the same from a consumers’ perspective.”
He continued, “Location has also been a pivotal element of our partnership with SAMHI as each of the 14 hotels in the Holiday Inn Express portfolio is located in a highly accessible, commercialised area which allows for convenient transportation, business services and great dining options. Guests staying at a Holiday Inn Express hotel can rest assured that their stay will make them ‘More Than Ready’ for their travel mission.”
Ashish Jakhanwala, CEO and Founder, SAMHI commented, “We are thrilled to find that both location of the hotel and comfort of stay have ranked so highly in this survey. We have been working in partnership with IHG to differentiate the Holiday Inn Express brand in India. Our portfolio of 14 hotels have been designed to provide an enhanced product, design and service culture that appeals to the savvy, hip and cool Indian traveller who is aspiring for success.”
He commented further, “Our first opening, Holiday Inn Express Gurgaon Sector 50, sets the benchmark for the remaining 13 hotels to open in the next year. The next hotel to open in our portfolio will be Holiday Inn Express Bengaluru Whitefield which is also located in a strategic area. Whitefield is a young and vibrant IT hub with malls and eateries in abundance for visitors to the city.”
IHG has been spearheading the growth of the mid-scale hotel segment in the country specifically with the Holiday Inn brand family, via rapid expansion and strategic partnerships. Following the partnership with SAMHI, the Holiday Inn Express brand has been emerging as one of the fastest growing brands in the mid-scale hotel segment in the country.
IHG currently has 31 hotels operating across four brands in India, including InterContinental Hotels and Resorts, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express, with a further 49 in the development pipeline.