Question: What was the first hotel brand to offer a pool? A restaurant? A lounge? Free ice? A "Kids Stay Free" program? Online booking?

Answer: Holiday Inn.

With the first Holiday Inn opening in 1952, the iconic brand is very much alive 60 years later. Owned by InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), Holiday Inn has over 1,200 hotels worldwide; it was the first international midscale hotel brand to open in China in 1984.

So how does a 60-year old brand stay relevant? Brandchannel spoke with Jim Anhut, SVP, Americas Brand Management for IHG, who told us about how Holiday Inn made a "tough decision" to relaunch the brand several years ago, which included refurbishing properties and instituting a new brand identity.Continue reading...

With less than two weeks to go before the Summer Games kick off, London Olympics organizers have suddenly discovered that they’ve got a major problem on their hands: Security. And rain. A backlash to the so-called "brand police." And what to do with thousands of tetchy journalists?

Post-Cool Brittania, We Stand on Guard for Thee

After spending years prepping to make the Olympics a shining moment in the city’s history that should help make its brand shine, London is hurting for security help. Nick Buckles, the head of the firm that is providing what security will exist, G4S, admits that the whole thing has been a “humiliating shambles,” according to the Guardian. Even so, London city officials are hoping that somehow they can turn things around quickly in hopes of rescuing the city’s brand.Continue reading...

"Stay Hilton" + "Go Chill," "Go Refresh," "Go Toast," "Go Foodie" — that's the message from Hilton Hotels & Resorts in the brand's new branding campaign showcasing unique experiences guests can find in the brand’s portfolio of more than 550 hotels in 80 countries.

The campaign highlights the local nuances of each destination (hence "Go NY" on its Facebook cover photo) and the guests who visit and is an evolution of the chain’s global footprint 'Stay Hilton. Go Everywhere.' campaign.

“Rolling out now in the U.S., our latest evolution of the campaign shifts from highlighting our global footprint to a focus on the experiences guests can have in our hotels," stated Andrew Flack, VP, global brand marketing, Hilton Hotels & Resorts. "The campaign illustrates how the Hilton brand connects travelers to the world in amazing and unexpected ways."Continue reading...

Air New Zealand has always had a good sense of humor and a willingness to try new things. A few years ago, the airline ran an ad featuring naked employees with uniforms painted onto their bodies. Then the airline introduced a sleazy mascot named Rico that it thankfully killed off (but not without grabbing some attention with the death, of course).

The airline with the social media fairy just announced at the San Diego Comic-Con that it has signed a two-film co-branding deal with New Line Cinema and MGM for Peter Jackson's The Hobbit, which will have it using Hobbit-branded aircraft, according to Marketing Magazine.

New Zealand, of course, is where the majority of principal photography was done for the film. Fans of Peter Jackson's earlier Lord of the Rings trilogy, which also struck a marketing partnership with Air New Zealand, often fly the airline to get over to New Zealand to see where some of their favorite scenes were put on film.Continue reading...

Airport concession operator OTG Management, a comparatively new player in the game, was chosen by JetBlue for its Terminal 5 hub at New York's JFK Airport. Known for offering varied cuisine, the terminal has added free iPads for travelers to use, starting with LaGuardia, Minneapolis-St. Paul International and Toronto Pearson International airports.

“The iPads will be locked down and pre-loaded with apps that will allow travelers to check their flights, order food, check email and update Facebook. It’s a great advertising tool for OTG’s eateries and Apple (as if it needed more advertising). So look for an iPad at an airport near you soon!” notes aviation blogger/journalist Benet Wilson. 

The three major North American airports will offer 2,500 iPads for anyone’s use and according to OTG CEO Rick Blatstein, “We’re very bullish on the iPad and customer satisfaction and client satisfaction.” (Blatstein discusses his company’s plans in this video.)Continue reading...

Everyone knows the funniest Americans were born in Canada, so why not leverage that to bring a few tourism dollars north of the border?

Now playing in New York City: a series of spots featuring Canadian expat actor Eric McCormack, pitching the great white north to Manhattanites and visitors. The "Canada for Fun" tourism and branding campaign, from a consortium of Canadian tourism boards, aims to boost awareness of "why Canada is such a fun place to visit." It just launched in the New York metro market on NBC-owned TV stations; online at CanadaForFun.com and YouTube, where you can watch more of the spots; in taxis (where this expat Canadian caught the campaign); and on digital signage in commuter rail stations such as Penn Station. 

"Humour is an intrinsic part of our culture and is a great way to give Americans who haven't had a chance to visit Canada an inside look at their northern neighbours. We hope they enjoy Eric's take on our myths and realities," noted Greg Klassen, SVP of the Canadian Tourism Commission. Follow along on Twitter: @canadaforfun and #canadaforfun 

For decades, new Las Vegas hotel/casinos have been incredibly over-the-top and, let's face it, garish: a pyramid, a pirate-themed one, a mini re-creation of New York City, King Arthur’s castle, the list goes on. But now a casino is heading in the opposite direction by leveraging the Nobu brand to attract a new clientele.

Nobu Hospitality partners including Chef Nobu Matsuhisa, Robert De Niro and Meir Teper, along with designer David Rockwell and principals from Caesars Palace, held a press conference this week at the original Nobu in New York City to reveal the concept for the world's first Nobu Hotel, set to open in Las Vegas late 2012.

The design for the Nobu Hotel at Caesars Palace looks to bring the zen palate of Nobu restaurants to life — an oasis for well-heeled high-rollers to calm their nerves and enjoy the good life after making (or losing) more cash at the city’s many gambling tables.Continue reading...

JetBlue Airways and Air China are partnering in a landmark arrangement for both airlines. The agreement marks JetBlue's 20th partnership and its first partnershipwith a Chinese carrier.

Later this summer, Air China and JetBlue will launch interline connections between their networks at New York/JFK as well as at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Then, subject to government approval, China's national airline this autumn plans to enter into a codeshare with JetBlue and place its “CA” designator on flights operated by JetBlue.Continue reading...