As a part of our stay in LA, we had the chance to stay at the amazing IHG Hotel Kimpton La Peer Hotel in West Hollywood.
Between the delectable food, drinks, and eye-catching decor, we had the best time in LA with IHG. During our stay, we spoke with Brian McGuinness, Senior Vice President of Global Guest Experience, about the hotel and some improvements he has made. McGuinness details his experience since joining the company and being tasked with creating and delivering a solution to executing a pleasurable global guest experience across the company’s portfolio of leading brands.
With more than 20 years of hospitality experience, McGuinness most recently served as the Global Brand Leader and Senior Vice President for Marriott, Sheraton, and Delta Hotels, where he was responsible for brand strategy, marketing, design, and guest experience. He spent 19 years with Starwood Hotels & Resorts, where he led the launch of Aloft and Element hotels and the efforts to bring innovation and lifestyle to the select service category.
The Knockturnal: IHG, has such a unique vibe. How do you think is the experience is different from other hotels?
Brian McGuinness: I think the difference at IHG is we have something for everyone, right? So from our Holiday Inn and our Holiday Inn Express, all the way up to our Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants and Six Senses. We have everything from sort of mainstream up to luxury. We customize our experiences to those customers, right? If you do point-to-point travel, we have got a great hotel for you at Holiday Inn Express. But if you’re looking for that leisure, maybe it’s a getaway for an anniversary or something, we’ve got beautiful Six Senses around the world as well. The experience is different for us in the sense that it’s tailored to the customer that’s staying with us at the time.
The Knockturnal: If someone is looking to book their first IHG trip, how would you recommend they go about it and what’s a pro tip for a new IHG customer?
Brian McGuinness: A pro tip is the IHG One Rewards app. So, download it, download it, download it. Become a member and that’s the easiest way to book. It’s a one-click booking for all of our hotels and it’s super easy. Tons of information and you’ll have your reservation just like that. Additionally, it’s an award-winning loyalty program. So, you’ll earn points. The benefits are amazing. And then you’re part of the family.
The Knockturnal: Very cool IHG! There’s a certain hotel that has partnerships with different airlines and et cetera. Is there anyone that’s aligned with that view that people should maybe steer to as they’re working with IHG?
Brian McGuinness: Well, we have partnerships across the board. Obviously, a major one would be major league soccer. And we love bringing out-of-hotel experiences to our best customers as well. We love major league soccer. The US Open with United States Tennis Association. That’s a good association. We love that as well. We have partnerships across the board, which helps enhance the overall experience.
The Knockturnal: Very cool! For the IHG, are there any new hotels opening soon that we should know about? Any exciting IHG?
Brian McGuinness: Lots of incredible properties. We have 17 brands and over 6,000 hotels & we’re opening hotels all the time.
The Knockturnal: So with the IHG One Rewards app, what do the reward points look like as a rewards member?
Brian McGuinness: The points are amazing, right You can use them for travel, your hotel stays, food and beverage. And it goes across the entire spectrum of the stay. We’re super excited about that. And they just launched that loyalty program in the second part of this year. So, around May, or June of this year. And it’s already won awards, etcetera. We’re super excited about IHG One Rewards. The benefits are in the app too, which is where you can find the new Milestone Rewards. Which is new. Part of the IHG rewards program.
