IHG CEO Sees More Nimble Hotel Group From What He Inherited

It's been a little less than two years since Keith Barr became the CEO of InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), succeeding former CEO Richard Solomons, but in that time, Barr has made it a point to make sure that IHG is a very different company. "I've had a lot of people talk to me, saying, 'Wow, you know, something's different at IHG," Barr told Skift at the Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS) in Los Angeles. "Which is great to have people say, because when I took over as chief executive, my aspiration was to take a company that had been very successful, but to realize its potential in an increasingly competitive marketplace." Barr's strategy involved $125 million in cost-cutting measures — primarily from layoffs — as well as major investments in technology, including a new reservations system, called IHG Concerto, and soon, a new property management system. "it was a tough year, because that $125 million in cost savings impacted people, and that was across the worl