A Hotel Brand for New Travel Paradigms
IHG introduces Garner, a midsize brand elevated by thoughtful design.
The pandemic ushered in a new era of travel that galvanized dramatic changes in the hotel industry. Remote workers began to blend business and leisure trips (“bleisure”) at an unprecedented rate, smaller market cities began to grow in popularity and size, and guests craved more flexible and authentic hotel experiences. At the same time, major disruption in the economy led to tightened lending and higher interest rates and construction costs, which made building new hotels prohibitively expensive. Renovations became out of reach for many hotel owners. IHG Hotels & Resorts wanted to create a new midscale conversion brand that could meet this moment, providing the warmth and design consideration that guests crave as a way for hotel owners to distinguish themselves from the competition. In 2023, IHG partnered with IDEO to build Garner, a hotel brand designed to cultivate a welcoming and adventurous atmosphere
21 contracts signed
across US, UK, Japan, and Turkey in H1 of 2024
56 contracts
to be signed in H2 of 2024
500 Garner Hotels
planned in the next 10 years, and 1,000 over the next 20
12 percent of the global hotel pipeline consists of conversion projects—which allow hotels to switch to a new brand and refurbish, increasing revenue without having to invest in costly construction.
That marks a new all-time high for the industry.
In the U.S., the midscale hotel segment represents a $14 billion market today, and is set to reach $18 billion in hotel revenue by 2030.
Midscale hotel brands are the fastest growing hotel segment in the U.S., attractive to both travelers and hotel owners. But often, their messaging feels repetitive, and travelers have a tough time differentiating between them. With a warm, thoughtfully-designed midscale brand, IHG had an enormous opportunity to distinguish itself in a crowded market.
IHG’s goal was to deliver a guest experience that felt genuinely unique and resonant—and quickly. With costs on the rise, many owners were motivated to turn toward conversion brands, which make it possible to refurbish hotels under a new brand rather than invest in construction, a way to grow their portfolio in a tight financing market. Meanwhile, IHG’s competitors were set to introduce new conversion brands of their own. The company was looking for a partner that could work swiftly and iteratively to deliver a distinct brand.
For the IDEO team, the answer lay in communicating the value of the brand, starting with a custom logo rendered by hand. Inspired by vintage sign painting and modernist typography, the team sketched out different versions of the letterforms, reviewing them with IHG until they had something that brought to life the generosity and feeling of invitation associated with the spaces in the hotel. They also worked to ensure the wordmark was visually balanced, and would translate correctly at a vast range of scales. From there, they built an expansive brand world, including bespoke navigation icons, a full interior and exterior signage system, and a video to support the Garner launch.
The result is a hotel brand that stands apart in its category, both for travelers and owners: thoughtful and well-designed yet affordable. As competition in the midscale segment continues to increase, Garner has been central to IHG’s growth strategy. Launched in the fall of 2023, Garner already has expansion plans across North America, Europe, and Asia, increasing IHG’s international footprint by unifying design and strategy.
Midscale hotel brands are the fastest growing hotel segment in the U.S., attractive to both travelers and hotel owners. But often, their messaging feels repetitive, and travelers have a tough time differentiating between them. With a warm, thoughtfully-designed midscale brand, IHG had an enormous opportunity to distinguish itself in a crowded market.
IHG’s goal was to deliver a guest experience that felt genuinely unique and resonant—and quickly. With costs on the rise, many owners were motivated to turn toward conversion brands, which make it possible to refurbish hotels under a new brand rather than invest in construction, a way to grow their portfolio in a tight financing market. Meanwhile, IHG’s competitors were set to introduce new conversion brands of their own. The company was looking for a partner that could work swiftly and iteratively to deliver a distinct brand.
For the IDEO team, the answer lay in communicating the value of the brand, starting with a custom logo rendered by hand. Inspired by vintage sign painting and modernist typography, the team sketched out different versions of the letterforms, reviewing them with IHG until they had something that brought to life the generosity and feeling of invitation associated with the spaces in the hotel. They also worked to ensure the wordmark was visually balanced, and would translate correctly at a vast range of scales. From there, they built an expansive brand world, including bespoke navigation icons, a full interior and exterior signage system, and a video to support the Garner launch.
The result is a hotel brand that stands apart in its category, both for travelers and owners: thoughtful and well-designed yet affordable. As competition in the midscale segment continues to increase, Garner has been central to IHG’s growth strategy. Launched in the fall of 2023, Garner already has expansion plans across North America, Europe, and Asia, increasing IHG’s international footprint by unifying design and strategy.
"Working with IDEO was a phenomenal experience. They always bring such a balance of innovative thinking, creativity, and ‘how might we’ mentality that pushes our thinking and delivers best-in-class work. They embraced our agile mindset and ensured we built a brand that delivers for the guest, our owners, and IHG on a quick timeline to support the business."
