IHG Acquires Ruby Hotels, Its 20th Brand, Plans 250+ Hotels

So, this is basically a cross between Hotel Indigo and Kimpton with automated self-check-in kiosks and probably no daily housekeeping, no club lounge and limited on-property services and amenities besides a bar that does double-duty as a restaurant. That’s an attractive model in London and other European markets with high labor costs.

Can’t they first integrate Six Senses properly before moving on to more brands?

I've stayed at the Ruby properties in London a few times - they're great. Really well pitched on value and quality. A very good breakfast offering, the rooms are spacious and stylish and the have a great little kitchen area on the floor. I think they fill an excellent space in urban markets. Their products are pretty consistent at the moment, so will be interesting to see if they protect that as they grow. Will be good to have a points offering too.

Another one? I lost track of how many new hotel brand have Ihg got, VIGNETTE, VOCO, Garner, and still want more?

No experience with Ruby, but this kind of brands is usually a terrible value for money in my eyes - they try to command premium by mimics and looking cool, while often failing on the merit and cutting basics. I am however happy about IHG's expanding presence in Stockholm. I wish rest of Scandinavia would follow.

It sounds like Ruby before IHG's acquisition was managed by Ruby. IHG is specifically saying they will franchise the brand moving forward, which means no standards. Just look at Kimpton or Hotel Indigo. You have some genuine 4-star, if not 5-star, Kimptons and Hotel Indigos and then you have other properties that are basically a Holiday Inn Express with a better decor. If you read between the lines, Ruby is all about cutting owner costs. Automated front desk check-in, etc.

In the announcement e-mail, they highlighted that the hotel would have in-room Marshall amps and that you could check out electric guitars to plug in and play in your room. I'd have to think REALLY hard to find a worse idea than encouraging people to play amplified music in their rooms.

Thanks, flybyFIRE. I came here to post exactly the same concern 🙂

I would want (and need) to know a LOT more about the room's sound-proofing, before booking a room. However nice / spartan / select / designer the rooms may be, the possibility of being annoyed or kept awake by some 40 year old millennium guest trying to re-live or emulate their earlier wayward rock-star ambitions COULD be a complete turn-off, irrespective of how great the pics look. And I will say, the pics do look like an homage to an uncomplicated, youthful, mid-scale designer luxury.