Reaching into their pockets to strengthen their lifestyle offering: these days, hotel groups are not shy about making acquisitions to bolster their brand portfolios with trendy hotels. After the acquisition of NoMad and Graduate by Hilton in spring 2024, following Hyatt's takeover of Me&All and International Standard in the second half of the year, IHG follows the trend with the acquisition of Ruby Hotels110.5 million.
Founded in 2013 by Michael Struck, this German-born brand has rolled out its concept of 'lean luxury' - relaxed, affordable luxury - in around twenty hotels today, all with female names, Bea, Lucy, Emma or Zoé. Most of these hotels will be integrated into the IHG distribution system by the end of the year, on 31 March 2026 at the latest.
"We are delighted with the acquisition of Rubysaid Elie Maalouf, CEO of IHG Hotels & Resorts. It further enhances our portfolio with a distinctive, high-quality offering for customers and homeowners in popular urban destinations." . These include major German cities such as Cologne, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich and Stuttgart, with a total of 9 establishments across the Rhine, as well as London and Vienna, with three hotels in each of these cities. Ruby Hotels also has two hotels in Switzerland, in Geneva and Zurich, as well as a presence in Amsterdam, Dublin and Florence.
These are just some of the business destinations where professionals have been able to discover its approach to lifestyle hotels, characterised by small, upmarket rooms, bars open 24/7 and, in many cases, a very high standard of service, vast coworking spacesThe Ruby Emma in Amsterdam, for example, is spread over 800 m² and three floors.
Like Accor, which gave Mama Shelter and the German chain 25Hours the resources to go further and conquer the world, IHG intends to spread the lifestyle and "micro-urban" concept of Ruby Hotels. The British group has set itself the target of reaching 120 hotels within ten yearsThis figure rose to more than 250 over two decades. " We see excellent opportunities not only to expand Ruby's strong European base, but also to rapidly bring this exciting brand to the market. in the Americas and across Asiaas we have done successfully with previous brand acquisitions" said Elie Maalouf.
While IHG hopes to open its first Ruby in the United States this year, the group will also be able to build on the ten projects already underway, with openings expected over the next three years in Edinburgh, Rome and Stockholm. As for France, business travellers will soon be able to discover Ruby's offer. in MarseilleThe project is located in the heart of the Euroméditerranée district, with a hotel planned for the end of the year offering 237 rooms, a vast coworking space and a rooftop bar with a view of the Bonne Mère.
It should be noted that Ruby's founder, Michael Struck, does not see his baby vanish completely, as his group will continue to manage existing and planned hotels, as well as those it may develop in the future, under a master franchise agreement. " We have carefully selected IHG as the ideal partner to take the Ruby brand and our international expansion to the next levelsaid the CEO of The Ruby Group. IHG's distribution strength, the fact that Ruby perfectly complements IHG's portfolio and its proven track record of successfully preserving identity and culture through brand integration give us great confidence as we embark on this next chapter together." .
