Holiday Inn debuted its new H4 design concept with the recent opening of the 153-room Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Bellingham in Bellingham, Washington.
Developed in collaboration with hotel owners and frequent guests, the concept currently focuses on the guestrooms.
"We're purposefully taking a phased approach to the H4 design solution, starting with the guestrooms, because this is where we can make the most positive impact on the guest experience," Eric Lent, Vice President, Full Service Hotels & Food and Beverage Solutions, The Americas, IHG told TravelPulse.
"We'll integrate our public spaces into the design in the second phase."
Highlights of the new room design include a welcome nook, a moveable desk and hideaway beds.
Similar to the mudroom inside a home, the welcome nook serves as a convenient place for guests to store belongings like coats and keys. Guests can also charge their devices in this area.
The H4 design boasts space-saving features like a trundle style bed that can function as a couch during the day and pull out into a pair of twin beds at night.
The guestrooms also provide more flexibility for road warriors since there are more than five dedicated points of power throughout the space.
"Over the past few years, design has become more approachable, affordable and therefore, expected by consumers," added Lent. "Brands like Target have commoditized affordable design and others like Starbucks have put a heavy emphasis on design as part of their brand experience. These are just two examples, but this overall shift has changed the consumer's expectation and desire.
"Similarly, hotel brands have had to evolve their design to keep up with changing consumer taste as well."
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Moving forward, all new-build Holiday Inn hotels opening in the U.S. and Canada will feature the H4 design. According to Lent, existing properties "will adopt the design through the lifecycle of their license agreement."
Lent also said the concept will pop up in several major markets, including New York City, Chicago and Indianapolis.
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