IHG Hotels and Resorts has opened the first hotel under its new midscale conversion Garner brand.
The former Red Lion Inn & Suites Auburn Seattle has been reflagged as the Garner Auburn – Seattle.
IHG unveiled the Garner brand in August, and at the time said that it would be ready to franchise in early September – demonstrating how quickly the group intends to turn around conversion opportunities.
The 95-room property is located in Seattle’s southern suburb of Auburn, around 20 minutes drive from the city’s Seattle-Tacoma International airport.
Signature amenities include a complimentary hot breakfast bar, flavour-infused water at check-in and a cookie “happy hour”.
IHG plans to add several Garner properties in the coming months, and is targeting 500 hotels under the brand in the next ten years, and 1,000 in the next 20 years.
The brand will be primarily US-focused, although at the launch IHG said that there was “a goal to expand globally”. The group also said that “Garner arrives at a lower price point and conversion cost per key than Holiday Inn Express”.
Commenting on the news Jolyon Bulley, CEO – Americas, IHG Hotels & Resorts, said:
“The debut of Garner hotels less than three months after its launch speaks volumes about the hard work of our team to bring the brand to life, and the interest of owners to become part of a transformational conversion offering in the midscale space.
“Garner Auburn – Seattle is just the beginning of a great journey ahead for our 19th brand and underlines our track record for launching and growing brands successfully.”
Garner joins IHG’s new-build midscale brand Avid which launched in 2017, and the group’s upscale Voco conversion brand which launched in 2018.
