The IHG Owners Association has launched an Owner Confidence Index, a new barometer designed to track sentiment across the U.S. hotel ownership market.

The index gives owners of IHG-branded properties — a group that spans franchised and managed hotels across Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Crowne Plaza, InterContinental and other brands in the IHG system — a dedicated instrument for measuring how ownership feels about operating conditions, near-term performance and the broader investment climate.

Why does hotel ownership need its own index?

Hotel owners sit in a distinct position within the industry's economics. They carry the property-level costs — debt service, insurance, labor and capital expenditures — while brand companies such as IHG collect fees and set brand standards that drive much of the required spend. An owner-confidence measure isolates that perspective, which equity-market indicators and brand-side reporting do not capture.

The IHG Owners Association, which represents hotel owners operating under IHG brands, positions the index as a standing gauge of the ownership market rather than a one-time survey. As a recurring barometer, it can show whether owner sentiment is improving or deteriorating across cycles — a signal relevant to lenders, brand leadership and industry analysts watching capital flows into U.S. lodging.

What could the index influence?

Owner sentiment shapes decisions with direct financial consequences: whether to renovate on schedule, refinance, add brands to a portfolio or hold off on new development. A published confidence reading gives those decisions a common reference point and creates pressure for transparency in owner-brand discussions.

For IHG specifically, the index arrives as brand companies compete for owner capital across segments. A measurable confidence signal can highlight where friction — fee structures, technology mandates, capital-improvement requirements — is weighing on the owners who ultimately fund the system's growth.

The IHG Owners Association said the index is intended as a new barometer for the U.S. hotel ownership market, and future readings should show whether it becomes a widely cited benchmark for tracking the health of America's hotel-owner base.