IHG is the brand owner and franchisor of hotel chains globally. The largest hotel brands in the IHG system are Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express, which together account for about 50% of gross revenue. The next most significant is InterContinental, followed by Crowne Plaza. There are 19 brands in total across IHG’s 6,600 hotels.

IHG provides hotel owners the benefits of its loyalty program (IHG One), reservation system, and revenue management system in return for a franchisee fee. This makes it more economically attractive for the owner to franchise rather than operate an independent hotel, and it also makes it attractive for existing independent hotels to convert to one under the IHG system. IHG today accounts for 4% of global hotel rooms and 10% of the pipeline, as an indicator that it should continue to gain share for many years to come.