IHG Hotels & Resorts builds upon We’re there, its global marketing campaign launched in June for Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express. These two brands will continue to enable people to travel and come together in-real-life (“IRL”) by surprising travelers with 10,000 free nights for stays at properties around the world. By encouraging guests to #BeThereIRL, the brands will celebrate the in-person connections that have taken place in nearly 4,000 Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express hotels worldwide.Even in the digital-first world, people crave in-person moments and connections with friends, family and colleagues, and they’re willing to go out of their way to make them happen. According to new research conducted this year by Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express, although 59 percent of people communicate with family members digitally more than in person, the desire to travel to be with family and friends is stronger than ever. A nationwide survey in both the US and UK found that:
- One in four adults confess to skipping work or school to gain more time with their loved ones
- Spending time IRL is not waning in the digital age – in fact, many adults have lied to get out of doing something else (26 percent) in order to take a trip to see a loved one
- 78 percent of adults would prefer to share an all-expenses paid weekend trip with someone rather than an all-expenses paid shopping spree (22 percent) with their best friend
Kicking off during back-to-school season, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express will make these in-person connections even easier by surprising travelers with 10,000 free nights via IHG® Rewards Club points, through the end of the year. Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express will award the nights to travelers through a series of fun surprise-and-delight moments on social media and through events in major cities around the world.
