The InterContinental Does More Than Drift In
When the InterContinental Hotel chain jumped into the Atlanta market, they did so with both feet. They have opened two hotels in two months.
Hotel Indigo in Midtown is tropical themed hotel, which has returned an upscale feel back to a great space designed by Pringle and Smith. It replaces a Days Inn and hair salon and is certainly an improvement. It’s also the first of its kind. A number of Hotel Indigos are planned across the country, but Atlanta has the first one.
Certainly, the hotel is a design risk; chairs are oversized and colors are very bright, and spaces are very open. However, they want you to be aware of the risk they’ve taken. They don’t have a ball room. One of their two small conference rooms is named Fibonacci and there are numerous references to the Golden Mean. Clearly, their intent is to create an aesthetically relaxing atmosphere to which people will escape from the bustle. They hope this approach will appeal to both recreational visitors and business people alike. With rates of roughly $140 per night (not overly pricey, but not as inexpensive as the former occupant) they seek the fairly well healed savvy traveler.
By contrast, The InterContinental Buckhead Hotel is seeking the luxury market. Designed with Chagall colors and Parisian design overtones, the InterContinental is designed to radiate high priced luxury. To make it a splash in the market, the hotel engaged a top team of hotel executives. To show just how serious they were, they even asked Martha Jo Katz to be their director of social functions. Ms. Katz has long been seen as a top Atlanta Gala planner and brought numerous clients to the former Swissotel. She has successfully shepherded the InterContinental through a very busy holiday season.
That the InterContinental company chose to dig in now says good things both for the company and for Atlanta. The company is not making a half hearted effort. They spent over $150 million in our market just to start playing. Defining the successful outcome for that effort is the interesting part. Indigo will stand and fall on its own terms. What tweaks will be needed? How will the focus of the hotel change? To whom will it cater? All will say a lot about Atlanta and the hotel. The InterContinental Buckhead has an obvious benchmark for success. It has 18 months to join or surpass the Ritz Carlton and 4 Seasons as Atlanta’s 5 star hotel champions.
Atlanta is the real winner here. A property that could have been lost is saved and improved. Atlanta’s image as a luxury destination is enhanced, and the economic and tourist dollars that the hotels create will keep the town’s service sector vibrant.
January 7th, 2005 at 10:08 am
InterContinental actually has been in the Atlanta market for quite a while. They also own a little-known chain called “Holiday Inn.”
Sarcasm aside, did you know that InterContinental actually has its U.S. headquarters in Atlanta? Though its been through numerous name and ownership changes (Holiday Inns Worldwide, Bass Hotels, Six Continents, now InterContinental) they’ve always been in the Ravinia building right across from Perimeter Mall.
That they chose their hometown to try out a new concept doesn’t surprise me. I reviewed Indigo in the NY Post here: http://specialsections.nypost.com/news/nypost/travel/20041123/p58_s1.htm (vastly rewritten by an editor, obviously.)