ALIS video: IHG's Bulley sees more green shoots in US

LOS ANGELES — Jolyon Bulley, CEO Americas, IHG Hotels & Resorts, admits there was plenty of uncertainty, especially in the non-luxury hospitality chain scales, in the U.S. in 2025.

But Bulley said he is seeing plenty of green shoots, which make him optimistic about IHG in 2026.

“There has been uncertainty, business uncertainty, consumer uncertainty, just uncertainty in general, around the domestic market here… but we're navigating our way through that,” he said. “We're seeing relative share of our brands improve, which is a great indicator for me, because you can be chasing targets, but relative revenue share against the competition, and improvement in that says that people are gravitating towards IHG brands, and our engine is working a lot harder.”

Bulley said events like the 250th anniversary of the United States and the World Cup, along with long-term consumer travel trends (especially in the upscale, upper upscale, and luxury chain segments), make him optimistic in the long term.

“Fundamentals still look good, and we're very positive about the future,” he said.

Bulley also discussed the power of conversions in IHG’s pipeline, the potential of partnerships and his personal evolution as a leader in this video interview.