InterContinental Hotels Group Organic Growth Opportunities

Create dedicated, SEO-friendly specification pages for every meeting-capable IHG property worldwide. This play captures high-intent B2B traffic from event planners searching for venues with specific capacity and feature requirements.

Example Keywords

• “meeting rooms in [city] with 200 capacity”
• “ballroom venues near [airport]”
• “wedding venues Holiday Inn [city] prices”
• “conference hotel with free parking in [city]”

Rationale

Competitors like Marriott and Hilton generate millions in traffic from inventory-style pages for their event spaces, a segment where ihgplc.com has a significant content gap. These searches are made by high-intent B2B customers (event planners) who book large blocks of rooms and services, representing substantial revenue opportunities.

Topical Authority

IHG is the canonical source for its own inventory data, including meeting room square footage, maximum capacity, floorplans, and available A/V equipment. By publishing this data in a structured, comprehensive format, IHG can establish itself as the most authoritative source, outranking third-party sites that scrape incomplete information.

Internal Data Sources

Leverage the internal Property Management System (PMS/CRS) for room counts and meeting space dimensions. Incorporate CAD floorplans, 3D walkthrough links, and Food & Beverage package PDFs, many of which are already stored in the existing file directory, to create differentiated, data-rich content.

Estimated Number of Pages

10,000+

Develop end-to-end route guides for electric vehicle road trips between major cities, highlighting every IHG hotel with EV chargers along the way. These pages provide practical utility by showing optimal charging stops, driving range, and live charger status, capturing a rapidly growing search audience.

Example Keywords

• “EV road trip [city] to [city]”
• “hotels with EV chargers on I-95”
• “fast charging hotel stop [route number]”
• “Tesla friendly hotel between [city] and [city]”

Rationale

With the rapid adoption of electric vehicles, searches for EV-friendly travel logistics are exploding, yet the SERPs lack authoritative, route-based content from hospitality brands. This play positions IHG as a forward-thinking leader in sustainable travel and captures high-intent travelers whose accommodation choice is dictated by charging availability.

Topical Authority

IHG's Responsible Business initiatives already track charger installations across its portfolio. By centralizing this information and presenting it in a useful, route-based format, IHG can create a unique and defensible content moat that is more practical than simple property-level mentions, establishing authority in the EV travel niche.

Internal Data Sources

Use the internal engineering asset database for charger types (Level 2, DCFC) and port counts. Integrate with the Google Maps Directions API for live routing and leverage internal loyalty booking data to identify and prioritize the most popular inter-city travel corridors for content creation.

Estimated Number of Pages

3,500+

Launch structured property pages that score every hotel on its pet-friendliness using a proprietary 'PawScore'. These pages detail fees, weight limits, nearby vets, dog-park walking distances, and other specific amenities that matter to pet owners.

Example Keywords

• “dog friendly hotel [neighbourhood] with park nearby”
• “cat friendly extended stay [city]”
• “pet fee under $50 [brand]”
• “hotels that allow large dogs [state]”

Rationale

The market for pet-friendly travel is large, passionate, and underserved with detailed information; OTAs typically offer a simple 'pets allowed' filter. This play captures high-intent owners who will book directly to ensure their pet is welcome and catered for, avoiding last-minute issues and building brand loyalty.

Topical Authority

IHG can move beyond basic policies to become the definitive resource for pet travel. By combining internal policy data with local ecosystem information (vets, parks, groomers) and a creative scoring system, IHG can create content that is far more useful and authoritative than any competitor or third-party travel site.

Internal Data Sources

Utilize existing pet policy tables from the PMS and waiver PDFs. Programmatically calculate walking distances to local parks and vets using a mapping API and leverage concierge-curated local business lists to provide a comprehensive resource for travelers and their pets.

Estimated Number of Pages

4,500+

Create long-form, data-driven articles pitting an IHG brand against a direct competitor in a specific lodging segment. These guides objectively compare amenities, loyalty perks, typical guest profiles, and value propositions to help travelers make informed booking decisions.

Example Keywords

• “Holiday Inn Express vs Hampton Inn”
• “Candlewood Suites vs TownePlace Suites”
• “InterContinental vs Ritz Carlton”
• “Staybridge Suites vs Residence Inn”

Rationale

Travelers actively search for head-to-head comparisons when making a final booking choice, but SERPs are dominated by subjective blog posts and forum threads. This play allows IHG to enter the conversation directly, control the narrative with objective data, and convert high-intent users at the bottom of the funnel.

Topical Authority

While competitors avoid direct comparisons, IHG can build immense authority by transparently using its proprietary data. Leveraging internal guest satisfaction scores, average daily rate (ADR) benchmarks, and detailed IHG One Rewards benefit tables allows for the creation of authoritative, factual content that third parties cannot replicate.

Internal Data Sources

Use Medallia / J.D. Power guest satisfaction data for objective quality metrics. Incorporate internal benchmarks on price and amenities (like Wi-Fi speed) and detailed IHG One Rewards program benefit tables to create uniquely insightful and persuasive comparison content.

Estimated Number of Pages

600+

Produce hyper-local, 48-hour itineraries that position a specific IHG hotel as the 'operating base' for a short trip. Each blueprint would blend business and leisure, featuring a timeline with walking distances from the lobby to hidden-gem restaurants, running routes, and local attractions.

Example Keywords

• “2 day itinerary [city] business trip”
• “48 hour guide near [airport] hotel”
• “weekend layover things to do [city]”
• “best morning run route [hotel name]”

Rationale

Generic city guides are common, but hotel-centric itineraries are a creative way to capture top- and mid-funnel traffic while showcasing a property's strategic location. This play provides genuine utility, builds brand affinity, and can be scaled across IHG's massive global footprint of over 6,000 hotels.

Topical Authority

IHG has an unmatched source of local expertise: its hotel concierge teams. By systematically digitizing their 'secret lists' of recommendations and local knowledge, IHG can create thousands of authentic, unique, and genuinely helpful content pieces that are far more credible than generic travel blogs.Internal Data Sources

Create a knowledge base for AirOps by uploading concierge tip sheets and guest survey feedback on favorite local spots. Augment this with loyalty data showing top attractions booked by members and use AirOps's live Google SERP integration to pull in timely local events for each itinerary.

Estimated Number of Pages

6,000+

Improvements Summary

Revise all /our-brands/ pages to directly answer high-intent ownership and corporate queries, add structured fact files, and implement FAQ schema. Expand content to cover history, differentiators, and contact details while optimizing for featured snippets and internal linking.

Improvements Details

Key tasks include mapping primary and secondary keywords like 'who owns Candlewood Suites' and 'Candlewood Suites corporate office', updating titles and H2s for direct answers, and adding a 'Brand Fact File' with parent company, HQ, and loyalty program details. Insert FAQ sections with JSON-LD markup, expand copy to 700–900 words, optimize images with keyword-rich alt text, and cross-link brand pages. Update meta descriptions, add structured data, and improve technical SEO elements such as canonical tags and breadcrumbs.

Improvements Rationale

Directly answering user queries and adding structured data increases the likelihood of capturing featured snippets and improving rankings for low-competition, high-intent keywords. Expanding and organizing content addresses thin copy issues, while internal linking and technical updates strengthen authority and drive more organic traffic to the brand cluster.