InterContinental to reposition Crowne Plaza

　　InterContinental Hotels Group is setting its sights on freshening up its Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts upscale hotel brand.

　　The announcement on Tuesday at its annual America Investors & Leadership Conference comes on the heels of the company"s completion of its $1 billion Holiday Inn relaunch. InterContinental"s Holiday Inn revamp, which was announced in 2007, included redesigning the logo and signage and emphasized arrival and welcome services and guestroom and guest bath comfort.

　　With Crowne Plaza, InterContinental CEO Richard Solomons says the company wants to "differentiate the brand from its competitors in a meaningful and relevant way." The company did not provide an estimate on the cost of the latest program.

　　The company"s repositioning of the brand has three phases, dubbed "Freshen Up," "Move Up" and "Shine." The first phase concentrates on improving product quality and consistency, mostly in the Americas. It also looks to give a more modern look with a new brand identity and by refreshing the Sleep Advantage program, which includes comfortable beds, luxury linens and amenities such as earplugs.

　　Crowne Plaza is the fourth-biggest upscale hotel brand in the world and generates $3.5 billion in gross revenue for InterContinental globally. It includes about 394 hotels in nearly 60 countries, with 115 hotels in the pipeline, according to the company"s website. The hotels are currently in the first phase of the repositioning, with activity expected to continue into next year.

　　The second phase of the strategy, which will occur throughout 2012 and 2013, will include gearing Crowne Plaza toward a new customer and providing them with enhanced products and services.

　　The last phase will look to set Crowne Plaza apart from its rivals through "new and innovative brand hallmarks" that will be tested worldwide. This phase will take place from 2013 through 2015.

　　Aside from Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza, InterContinental, based in the U.K., runs other hotel brands including Hotel Indigo, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites. It franchises, leases, manages or owns more than 4,400 hotels in 100 countries and territories and has more than 1,100 hotels in the development pipeline.

　　The company"s stock fell 7 cents to $17.96 in morning trading.