Having recently been appointed as Managing Director of IHG Hotels & Resorts’ (IHG) home market, the UK & Ireland, Joanna Kurowska discusses her plans for leading a responsible recovery, driving sustainable hotel performance, and working with owners and investors to unlock the growth potential of IHG’s brands.

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What do you hope to bring to your new role?

I am focused on delivering IHG’s promise of ‘True Hospitality for Good’ in the most responsible and sustainable way possible, working alongside the excellent team and owners we have in the UK & Ireland.

The pandemic has delivered unforeseen challenges that could never have been predicted. But it has also provided us with an opportunity to stop, rethink and reimagine how we do things in all spheres of our lives. I have taken the opportunity to do so too, and so over the coming years and months, I will be looking at how we change for the better – for our guests and partners, our people, our communities and our planet.

What’s your take on the industry at present?

Something that I took away with me when I attended The Annual Hotel Conference in Manchester recently was the real sense of considerate optimism from across the entire industry. Over the past 20 months, we have all demonstrated true resilience and felt the confidence for hospitality from our partners. But first and foremost, we’ve continued to see endless appetite from consumers to travel, discover and re-connect.

Personally, I believe that travel has an unparalleled ability to enrich our lives and it has always been and will remain an integral part of our society. That being said, in my view, it will pivot to a more responsible and mindful travel and we will, as an industry, need to adapt. We’ve always said we’re going to have to learn to co-exist with Covid-19, and what’s positive is that we now have best practice and learnings to apply.

We are also starting to create positive changes in our industry and a huge part of that is how we create a truly diverse and flexible working environment that encourages all of our people around the world to thrive, whatever their nationality, religion, race, sexuality, ability, background and beliefs. As we look to move forward from the pandemic and grow, we must ensure we’re navigating a recovery for the hotel industry and the wider hospitality sector that is also responsible. That means looking at how we develop hotels and continue to be profitable, but doing so in a way that is supportive of our teams and the world around us, as well as playing our part in looking after our planet and ensuring we protect it for the generations to follow.

What lessons have you learned from the crisis?

We’ve learnt many lessons! Personally, I have been reminded how fragile all what I perceive to be ‘normal’ is, and at the same time, I have been truly rendered speechless by the amount of kindness that we had for one another during tough times. I want to hold on to this learning and lead with compassion, care and courage.

Professionally, one of the biggest things I have learnt has been ensuring that we take a principle-led approach. What I mean by that is looking at how we make all of our decisions with the interests of our stakeholders at the heart. Whether that is a focus on flexible working for our people, identifying operational changes that benefit our owners, or going above and beyond for guest safety when they stay with us.

We also know that the pandemic has changed the behaviour and expectations of our guests, and the hospitality sector needs to respond quickly to these changes. Travellers are more conscious about how they spend their money than ever before, and they are now seeking a much bigger bang for their buck when it comes to hotels. From bucket list experiences to experience-led smart tech immersions, they are not holding back on their demands and the industry is going to need to continue to innovate to meet their new needs.

Has the pandemic affected plans for growth?

We’ve come through the past 20 months in a strong position and have continued to demonstrate our resilience. Working together with government, we’ve reopened our hotels to ensure that safety for our colleagues and guests remains our top priority, because we have seen that when people can travel, they will.

Despite all the challenges of the pandemic, our owners continue to share our confidence in our brands and markets. Across the first nine months of 2021, globally, a further 211 IHG hotels have opened – taking us to 6,031 properties worldwide. We have also signed another 294, putting our development pipeline at nearly 1,800 hotels, which represents an 11% share of the industry pipeline, versus 4% of current supply.

We’re capitalising on all of this demand and going forward we remain committed to the growth of our business, and the responsible recovery of the industry. Pursuing deals will of course be expected and we must make sure those deals are the right fit, the right quality and importantly, within the right partnership.

Which openings are you excited about and why?

Our Vignette Collection brand launched in the luxury and lifestyle space a few months ago and we’ve been thrilled with the response from owners. Each Vignette Collection hotel is as unique as the next, and among the first to join the brand are Hotel X in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley and Thailand’s Pattaya Aquatique.

As we look to expand Vignette Collection in more markets, it’s clear that whether it’s a city, resort or beyond, we want the brand to allow our owners to retain their identity whilst being a part of our family. Investors have been asking us how it fits with our vision, what the brand is and what’s coming up. Watch this space!

What challenges are you facing in the UK & Ireland?

Many of our hotels around the world represent small, individually-owned businesses, and the fluctuating demand and financial pressures presented by Covid-19 have created enormous challenges. We’re working closer than ever to provide the advice, support and flexibility required for a strong recovery and growth beyond. This has included measures such as expanding our procurement services to help alleviate pressures and pinch points on supply chain, all the way to offsetting increased safety and cleanliness costs with efficiency changes and discounting staff training to soften the economic impact our owners have suffered. Additionally, we continue to use our influence to partner with governments, trade bodies and peers worldwide to help protect industry jobs and work together towards a quicker and stronger recovery.

The pandemic has also resulted in a labour shortage in a number of sectors across the globe, including here in the UK and Ireland, and naturally it is a significant challenge for an industry that’s all about people. It’s therefore imperative that we build an attractive proposition for potential candidates going forward.

To encourage people to apply, we need to position hospitality as a career rather than only somewhere you work. This means demonstrating the rich experiences our industry can bring, and continuing to provide on-the-job training programmes while utilising the national apprenticeship scheme, as well as programmes to support and develop talent from all backgrounds to achieve a successful, fulfilling career in hospitality.

At IHG Hotels & Resorts, we have a number of dedicated development programmes such as Rise –  an initiative to support and mentor female aspiring General Managers, and community partners who ensure we are giving back to those around us too. We are also working with charity Only A Pavement Away to connect to people facing or experiencing homelessness, prison leavers and veterans, with the goal of placing them in long-term, stable employment. I’m particularly proud of our award-winning Change 100 programme too, which provides paid summer work placements and mentoring for disabled students and recent graduates.