InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) became the market leader in December with its $430 million acquisition of boutique Kimpton Hotels, where Leondakis served as president and chief operating officer before taking the helm at Commune.
IHG added Kimpton to its upscale chain Indigo and Even boutique brands. Other lifestyle/boutique hotel operators are also in growth mode, including Virgin Hotels and Sixty Hotels. The rush into Commune territory doesn’t worry Leondakis, one of the few women to head a major hotel company. She is confident Commune, which launched in 2011 as a result of the merger of Thompson and Joie de Vivre, has the experience and creative know-how to offer customers something special.
Thompson, for example, attracts “a sophisticated, urban global traveler with a clear sense of what they like,” she says. The Joie de Vivre customer appreciates each hotel’s differences; “They look forward to discovering [each property’s] character, soul and life.” And Tommie targets tech-savvy guests who want to “curate their own experience” in sleek micro-hotel rooms or in public spaces meant for connection and interaction.