IHG said it was seeing encouraging signs of recovery in business and international travel, with strong corporate bookings in the US as the Holiday Inn owner's room revenue inches closer to pre-pandemic levels.
The owner of the Crowne Plaza, Regent and Hualuxe hotel chains said hotel room revenue (RevPAR), a key performance indicator, rose 66% in the third quarter.
It noted that the US was down just 7% from 2019 levels after a busy summer season.
"Domestic leisure demand was particularly strong in a number of markets over the summer, where occupancy and rate climbed back to 2019 levels," chief executive Keith Barr said.
IHG said it was encouraged by signs of an uplift in business travel, group bookings and international trips during September.
Companies in the travel and hospitality industry around the world are recovering from the pandemic, as higher vaccination rates and an easing in restrictions spur an uptick in business and leisure travel.
However, renewed lockdowns due to the spread of the highly-contagious Delta variant, together with pre-flight Covid-19 tests as well as remote work options, still pose a significant constraint for the sector.
Revenue in IHG's Americas region, which account for the bulk of the group's revenue, rose 76% in the quarter and was down 10% compared to 2019.
In China, like other hotel operators such as Marriott International, IHG saw a hit in August from new restrictions.
IHG has been reviewing around 200 Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza hotels to save cost and position itself for growth post COVID-19. It has exited or confirmed the exit of 90 hotels already, it said today.
It is targeting an additional $25m in cost savings this year.
