IHG has launched ICons experiences, a set of bookable activities at InterContinental properties across the globe, enabling guests to experience destinations in new ways.
Following a major campaign at the end of 2019, guests were invited to vote on a series of visits that they thought defined particular destinations. The list included the scent of oven-fresh bread from the boulangeries on Rue Oberkampf in Paris, or the sounds of Mariachi music in Garibaldi Plaza in Mexico City or even the smell of roasting chestnuts from a vendor cart on Broadway in New York.
With voting over, the full list of five ICons experiences for each city has been finalised and are available to be experienced through all IHG properties. The votes were ranked by a global panel of leading travel experts including Deputy Vogue Editor, Sarah Harris and Charlie Hamilton James, a National Geographic photographer.
The ICons Experiences of London package includes:
The contrast of old and new architecture on the ever-changing London skyline
A Sunday roast enjoyed by the fireside in a historic, hidden London pub
Hearing the market traders and watching the eclectic mix of people on Portobello Road on a Friday morning
Spotting the stags emerge in Richmond Park on a misty, autumn morning
The thrill of seeing the twinkling lights of the capital as you cross the Thames in a cab at night
Each property will construct a memorable excursion based around the Icons experiences list. So for example, the InterContinental London Park Lane has created a picnic experience in Richmond Park to enjoy lunch while watching the stags dart amongst the trees. The InterContinental London O2 has designed a series of cocktails inspired by each of the London Icon experiences and served to guests looking out over the night-time cityscape of London Docklands.
Ginger Taggart, Vice President, Global Marketing, IHG Luxury Portfolio, comments: “As a pioneer in luxury travel, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts has always been the gateway to fascinating places and local cultural wisdom, so we understand that travellers are craving a deeper connection to the places they visit.
With our latest campaign, InterContinental ICons, we’ve set out to discover and celebrate authentic places and moments that might be overlooked by visitors but are truly part of what makes a city special. Whether it’s the feel of salt air while riding New York’s Hudson River ferry, the melodious bells of the clock tower on the Bund in Shanghai, or the feel of cobblestones underfoot on old Parisian streets, these ICons might include under-the-radar experiences or well-known tourist hotspots viewed in new and unexpected ways.
We want to reignite a sense of fascination for these much-visited cities and encourage discussion around what makes them truly iconic.”
Tell me more about InterContinental ICons experiences
Visit ICons experiences to discover all the available InterContinental experiences across the world. All experiences are bookable on site. Please refer to local IHG properties for pricing and timing.
