IHG rolls out premium soft brand

WINDSOR, U.K. —IHG Hotels & Resorts launched a new soft brand, Noted Collection, as part of its Q4 earnings.

The brand, IHG’s 21st and its 11th new brand in the last 11 years, focuses primarily on conversions in the upscale to upper upscale segment. IHG said initial discussions were underway with multiple owners, but didn’t offer any additional details on the pipeline beyond saying the company expects to reach more than 150 hotels worldwide in the next decade. The brand will begin in the Europe, Middle East, Asia & Africa (EMEAA) and roll out globally over time.

IHG said the Noted Collection will occupy space within its premium portfolio alongside Crowne Plaza, voco, and Ruby, while complementing its luxury and lifestyle brands, Hotel Indigo and Vignette Collection. The company mentioned that there are still 2.3 million independent hotel rooms globally that could benefit from affiliation with the soft brand.

FY2025 earnings

IHG reported global RevPAR growth of 1.5% year-over-year for full-year 2025 and net system size growth of 4.7% YOY as part of its Q4 2025 earnings. The company had a record 443 hotel openings and 65,078 rooms in 2025 (up 10% YOY), while also adding 102,054 rooms (and 694 hotels) signed (up 9% YOY) for the year.

RevPAR for 2025 was up 0.3% in the Americas (U.S. RevPAR was down 0.1% for the year, including a decline of 2% in Q4), up 4.6% in EMEAA and down 1.6% in Greater China. For the year, ADR was up 0.8%, while occupancy was up 0.5%. Total gross revenue for IHG rose 5% YOY to $35.2 billion.

IHG reported gross system growth of 6.6% and net system growth of 4.7%, which adjusts for the impact of removing rooms previously affiliated with The Venetian Resort Las Vegas. The company now has a global pipeline of 340,000 rooms and 2,292 hotels, up 4% YOY, which represents a third of its current system size.

The company’s fee margin was 64.8%, up +3.6% and driven by positive operating leverage and step-ups in ancillary fee streams.

“The launch of Noted Collection follows the acquisition in 2025 of the Ruby brand, which further enriches our premium portfolio,” said Elie Maalouf, CEO of IHG. “Our cash generation and strong balance sheet support our investments to drive growth, and we continue to sustainably increase our ordinary dividend as well as regularly return surplus capital through share buybacks… Supported by attractive long-term industry demand drivers and our proven ability to capitalize on our scale and diverse fee streams across segments and geographies, we enter 2026 with confidence.”