In brief
- The Holiday Inn Express brand appoints Chinese actor Bai Ke as official ambassador.
- A strategic partnership is forged with the comedy film MAKE ZHONGHE GREAT AGAIN.
The initiative promotes the Recharge & Restart stay concept focused on recovery
In an economic climate defined by fast-paced working lives, the midscale hotel brand seeks to actively support the mental and physical health of business travellers. The featured accommodation concept aims to turn every overnight stay into a restorative break, allowing guests to regain their vitality before tackling their professional commitments.
- The campaign promotes the “Recharge & Restart” stay concept focused on active travellers’ recovery.
- The network comprises more than 400 properties across Greater China.
Hotel brand Holiday Inn Express has formalised a strategic partnership with leading figures in contemporary Chinese popular culture. This alliance brings together comedic actor Bai Ke and the production team of the feature film MAKE ZHONGHE GREAT AGAIN, marking a significant milestone in how a hotel brand directly engages with an active, urban audience.
A cultural partnership targeting young professionals
Hotel brand Holiday Inn Express has formalised a strategic partnership with Chinese actor Bai Ke as well as a collaboration with the film comedy MAKE ZHONGHE GREAT AGAIN. This approach aims to strengthen the integration of its “Recharge & Restart” concept among young business clientele in Greater China.
The hospitality industry is undergoing a major evolution in the Asian market, where traditional communication methods are giving way to collaborations embedded in popular culture. By partnering with high-visibility media projects, Holiday Inn Express seeks to build a lasting emotional connection with executives, entrepreneurs and mobile employees travelling across regional metropolises.
A cultural anchor targeting young professionals
To reach the mobile urban population, Holiday Inn Express is leveraging the fame of Bai Ke, an actor renowned for his portrayals of everyday professionals. His image as a pragmatic, relatable working individual resonates directly with the expectations of urban travellers coping with the workload of major metropolises.
Through his various film and television roles, the actor has captured the aspirations, challenges and daily reality of young employees in urban centres. By choosing him as official ambassador, the brand highlights a familiar, reassuring figure capable of authentically embodying modern workers’ need to disconnect and rest.
The feature film MAKE ZHONGHE GREAT AGAIN, a comedy set in the corporate world, humorously addresses the stress and pressure experienced by employees. Holiday Inn Express sees a natural alignment between the film’s themes and its brand promise, founded on the balance between personal productivity and rest time.
The film’s plot explores the sometimes complex dynamics of the contemporary working world, while providing a welcome touch of humour. This theme echoes viewers’ daily experiences, creating a natural transition to the hospitality brand’s message: after the effort and tension built up at the office, having a space to recharge becomes a fundamental necessity for maintaining efficiency and overall well-being.
Evolving expectations in business travel
Business travel was long viewed through a strictly functional lens, focused solely on location and seamless check-in and check-out procedures. However, contemporary trends observed in major cities reveal a profound shift in priorities among the new generation of business travellers.
Today, the hotel is no longer seen merely as a place of transit or a temporary logistical stopover. It represents a key environment where travellers seek to maintain a strict personal balance. Travel fatigue, consecutive meetings and performance pressure lead mobile guests to seek a setting capable of delivering true physical and mental regeneration.
The transformation of the hotel sector in the face of new mobility habits
The hotel sector in Greater China is undergoing rapid structural changes, driven by the expansion of high-speed rail networks and the proliferation of regional economic hubs. This enhanced connectivity fosters intense professional mobility, with short and medium-length trips increasing for the country’s executives and technicians.
Faced with this high travel frequency, guest requirements have evolved towards a demand for efficiency without compromising on rest quality. Hotels must now design spaces capable of simultaneously meeting remote work requirements and the need for peace and quiet. This dual expectation demands great rigor from operators in layout design and service delivery.
The select-service segment, in which the brand operates, directly meets this demand by streamlining superfluous amenities in favour of highly functional infrastructure. Concentrating investment on elements considered key priorities by guests, such as soundproofing, bedding and IT network quality, allows for an offering perfectly aligned with today’s business travel realities.
An offering tailored to the needs of business travellers
Travelling guests’ behaviour is undergoing structural shifts across the Asian market. Guests are seeking accommodation that enables them to recharge and resume their journey with confidence, going beyond mere logistical lodging.
According to Rita Jiang, Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer for IHG Greater China, partnering with a popular actor and an everyday comedy allows these needs to be addressed authentically. The stated goal is to establish an ongoing dialogue with travellers rather than a purely commercial relationship.
This strategic vision reflects an overall desire to embed the guest experience into a broader relational framework. By adopting a direct, approachable tone, the brand seeks to position itself as a trusted partner that understands the demands, fatigue and daily challenges faced by its guests during their business journeys.
Holiday Inn Express’s strategic positioning in China
To support this positioning, the brand is adapting its service standards around targeted amenities. The hotel experience centers on restorative sleep, a balanced breakfast and a connected workspace key elements to maintain guest productivity.
The promise of a good night’s sleep relies on meticulous room design, with special attention paid to bedding ergonomics and soundproofing. Breakfast, crafted to provide the necessary energy for a busy day, offers a selection of nutritious options tailored to local and international tastes. Finally, seamless technological facilities ensure uninterrupted connectivity for managing daily work.
Integrating the Recharge & Restart concept at the heart of the guest experience
The brand’s positioning around the “Recharge & Restart” slogan is not limited to a short-lived advertising campaign. It is central to the design of services offered across all properties in the network. The goal is to ensure seamless consistency in guest experience, regardless of the business traveller’s destination.
Right from the lobby, interior design is conceived to streamline guest arrival and eliminate unnecessary friction points. Check-in procedures are optimised for quick room access. Common areas are versatilely configured, providing quiet zones suitable for focused work or brief informal meetings.
In guest rooms, the understated yet welcoming layout fosters a relaxing atmosphere. Adjustable lighting, ergonomic furniture and intuitive equipment allow guests to transition smoothly from intensive work to complete relaxation. This mastery of the hotel environment directly supports guests’ recovery capacity.
An expanding regional footprint
The brand benefits from an extensive regional footprint with more than 400 operating properties across Greater China. Drawing on the global expertise of IHG Hotels & Resorts and a keen understanding of the local market, Holiday Inn Express aims to continue modernising its hospitality offering.
The brand’s presence spans a broad urban network comprising tier-one economic metropolises as well as commercially booming regional hubs. This strategic geographic distribution ensures continuity of service for travellers undertaking complex business itineraries across various provinces.
Backing from IHG Hotels & Resorts enables the brand to leverage high-performance reservation systems, recognised loyalty programmes and rigorous operational standards. This international foundation, combined with a subtle understanding of Chinese socio-cultural preferences, consolidates the brand’s appeal across the regional hotel market.
Key announcement details
- Brand: Holiday Inn Express (IHG Hotels & Resorts)
- Ambassador: Bai Ke (actor)
- Partner project: Film MAKE ZHONGHE GREAT AGAIN
- Brand ethos: “Recharge & Restart”
- Regional footprint: Over 400 hotels in Greater China
