Holiday Inn Express, InterContinental Hotels Group's mid-scale hotel brand, has changed its Chinese name to Zhi Xuan Jia Ri in Greater China.

 

Commenting on the new name Keith Barr, the managing director of IHG Greater China, stated that the Chinese name change better reflects the needs of their guests who look for fresh, clean and uncomplicated hotels offering comfort, convenience, and good value. He added that they firmly believe this name change can also better represent the brand equity of Holiday Inn Express and IHG is committed to using a variety of our resources to communicate with their key stakeholders.

 

The group says that Zhi Xuan Jia Ri (智选假日), which is translated as 'Smart Choice' in English, is in line with the brand essence and values of Holiday Inn Express.

 

Based on the results of a large scale consumer survey, IHG conducted prior to initiating this name change program: it was decided that the new Chinese name provides a much clearer interpretation of the brand essence and positioning among Chinese guests. According to Barr, since they started changing the Chinese name and signage in November 2010 the brand has seen have seen a positive increase in the hotel business. He added that they were very confident that this name change would also be fully supported by the hotels' owners during the process of changing the hotels' Chinese names.

 

Holiday Inn Express is expanding quickly into China's first and second tier cities, with 29 hotels up and running and around 30 more in the development pipeline.