IHG Hotels & Resorts is capitalising on the opportunity provided by the NSW accommodation voucher program by doubling up the value for consumers.

The ‘Twice as Nice’ initiative offers a $50 value-add when consumers use their $50 Stay NSW or Parents NSW vouchers at one of 16 participating IHG hotels in NSW.

IHG Vice President Commercial, Japan, Australasia, Pacific, Dean Jones said the campaign is about optimising value for guests.

“While we are highly optimistic about the outlook for our industry in 2022, there is no doubt the industry, people and parents across the country have been through an incredibly tough time over the past year in particular,” Jones told HM.

“The NSW Stay and Parent vouchers offer fantastic support to help boost the economy and reward people for their resilience. For us, launching the Twice as Nice campaign is an additional layer to recognise parents and travellers across the State by doubling the value of their vouchers to ensure they have the break they deserve.”

The newly-opened Kimpton Margot Sydney, Crowne Plaza Hawkesbury Valley and voco Kirkton Park Hunter Valley are among the venues taking part. Each hotel offers a different value-add such as breakfast for two, premium room upgrades, restaurant and bars credit or parking.

Jones said the selected hotels offer a range of experiences to suit the varying needs of travellers, from a city escape or urban resort to a wine trip or even an airport stay.

“The breadth of choice is extremely important to us,” he said.

“We pride ourselves on having a brand and hotel to suit any guest preference – and I think we see this promise come to life through the value-adds which are very much tailored to the specific hotel.

“For example, Crowne Plaza Hawkesbury Valley is offering a $50 value add that includes a welcome drink for two, a room upgrade, a bottle of sparkling wine, breakfast for two and overnight parking. This is a great boost to families or couples looking to indulge in the Hawkesbury and offers significant savings.”

Twice as Nice launched on March 1, and while it’s too early to evaluate the impact, IHG is already seeing some positive signs.  

“We are seeing an increase in demand for our NSW hotels over the next six weeks from both leisure and corporate travellers, which is promising,” Jones said.

A win-win strategy

Beyond NSW, the accommodation industry is welcoming the rollout and extended rounds of accommodation vouchers in other states.

“It’s a welcomed and beneficial strategy,” Jones said.

“Victoria has just announced its new round of vouchers targeted to the travel industry which will be great boost, and we are already exploring ways to leverage across our Victorian hotels.”

The South Australian Tourism Commission’s Great State Vouchers provided a welcome boost for the local travel industry and surpassed IHG’s already optimistic expectations, according to Jones.

“Through these vouchers and local events, we saw a huge uptick in volume to our Adelaide hotels which is a promising indictor as the NSW vouchers reach travellers across the state,” he said.

“These government incentives can have a tremendous impact to the industry and support areas where it’s needed the most. We are hugely encouraging of further initiatives and look forward to collaborating on similar offers where we can help boost the incentives. At the end of the day, the consumer is rewarded and recognised for their resilience and our hotels see a much-needed boost – it’s a win-win.”