Hotel Indigo launches first-of-its-kind programme to bring back the lost art of borrowing

January 8, 2024

Hotel Indigo launches first-of-its-kind programme to bring back the lost art of borrowing

MALAYSIA – 8 JANUARY 2024: Hotel Indigo, part of IHG’s Luxury & Lifestyle portfolio, is launching a first-of-its-kind offering globally where guests staying at a Hotel Indigo can now “borrow” everyday necessities at no cost. The programme, Borrowed by Hotel Indigo, which comes on the heels of the brand’s largest marketing campaign, The World’s Neighbourhood Hotel, will aim to foster connection and build community.

In a global survey* from Hotel Indigo, the brand reveals that 73 percent of respondents feel it is important for the hotel they stay in while travelling to be connected to the local neighbourhood, as it may inspire people to be more adventurous, have the desire to try new things, and meet new people.

From December 2023 to February 2024, Hotel Indigo, as The World’s Neighbourhood Hotel, will invite guests staying in cities across Southeast Asia including Bali, Bangkok, Phuket, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur later in 2024, to borrow items unique to the neighbourhoods in which their respective Hotel Indigo properties are located in. By borrowing these items, guests can discover, or rediscover, some of the most inspiring and culturally rich neighbourhoods in and outside the hotel, through celebrating the tastes and traditions of the communities that these hotels are part of.

In Thailand, over at Hotel Indigo Phuket Patong, guests can give Muay Thai boxing a go at the hotel’s full-sized boxing ring when they borrow Hotel Indigo-branded boxing gloves, while guests at Hotel Indigo Bangkok Wireless Road can choose from three sets of items – Saen Sabai (The Picnic Set), Teaw Talod (The Explorer Set) and Suay Rerd (The Photographer Set) – based on how they personally prefer to explore the City of Angels.

To immerse themselves in Peranakan culture in the heart of its home within the Katong neighbourhood in Singapore, guests at the Hotel Indigo Singapore Katong can borrow traditional Tiffin carriers to use to take delicious Nyonya treats back to their rooms. Guests at Hotel Indigo Bali Seminyak Beach can dress up in a ceremonial outfit made from Balinese fabric (also known as endek) or borrow a surfing rash guard while they explore the hotel’s iconic coastline. For the full list of items available for borrowing across the hotels, please refer to Annex.

Today, our social structure has evolved, and we no longer borrow from our neighbours as much as we once used to. In fact, a recent survey from Hotel Indigo* reveals that people interact with their neighbours less than ever before, with 59 percent never having asked to borrow from their neighbour – once a commonplace practice – because they’re too shy (29%), don’t want to be an inconvenience (23%), or don’t have any sort of relationship with their neighbour (25%). But it has been proven that even the smallest interaction with another individual – something as simple as borrowing from a neighbour – can make for happier communities (Source: Harvard Business School).

Borrowed by Hotel Indigo will reignite the popular habit of lending to a neighbour, while continuing to highlight what it means to be inseparable from the community. Hotel Indigo properties in the US, UK, and Australia have already started inviting guests and even locals staying in the same zip code, to borrow what the brand’s survey revealed as the most commonly borrowed items – from sugar, olive oil, salt and pepper, to coffee and tea in these markets. Research** also shows that nearly 60 percent of travellers are willing to be more adventurous when it comes to trying new foods while on a trip. So, for guests staying at these participating properties, looking for a taste of the neighbourhood to take back home, each hotel will also offer a special, locally sourced item from honey and hot sauce to grilling rubs and seafood seasoning.

Participating locations:

Southeast Asia

Australia

United States

United Kingdom

For more information, visit https://www.ihg.com/hotelindigo/hotels/us/en/reservation.

Survey methodology:
*The research was conducted by Censuswide with 1,000 US nat rep consumers by age and gender (18+) and 1,000 UK nat rep consumers by age, gender and region (18+) between 20.10.23 – 23.10.23. Censuswide abide by and employ members of the Market Research Society which is based on the ESOMAR principles and are members of The British Polling Council.

** Figure is from YouGov, an International Internet-based market research and data analytics firm. Survey was conducted online between July 25 and August 3, 2023, across 6,015 travelers (defined as having traveled in the past 12 months and/or planning to in the next 12 months) aged 25-44 in the US, UK, Australia, Japan, UAE, and Saudi Arabia