InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, the world’s largest luxury hotel brand, launched InterContinental ICons on December 19, offering travellers a fresh look at some of the world’s most exhilarating cities and inviting the public to take part in a global conversation on what makes them truly iconic.

InterContinental’s new campaign aims to inspire by rediscovering what makes each city truly fascinating. An online vote asks the public to select the most symbolic sights, sounds, tastes, smells and feelings in these cities that will connect travellers more deeply when they visit.

Some of the multi-sensorial experiences identified by luxury travellers around the world include:

Paris - The scent of oven-fresh bread on the boulangeries of Oberkampf, Paris 11e

London - The warmth from a roaring fire in an old London pub on a chilly day

New York - Smell of roasting chestnuts from a vendor cart on Broadway

Shanghai - The warm aroma of Xiaolongbao at the Temple of the City Gods

Dubai - Sound of water lapping an abra (traditional wooden boat) as it glides along Dubai Creek

Sydney - The feel of the cool breeze on your face on the Manly to Circular Quay ferry

Mexico City – The sounds of Mariachi music in Garibaldi plaza

“With our latest campaign, InterContinental ICons, we’ve set out to discover and celebrate authentic places and moments that might be overlooked by visitors but are truly part of what makes a city special,” said Ginger Taggart, Vice President, Global Marketing, IHG Luxury Portfolio.

The brand’s independent study, carried out in New York, London, Paris, Shanghai, Dubai, Sydney and Mexico City, reveals travellers often feel they only scratch the surface of a city.

More than three-quarters (77 per cent) say they feel obliged to see the most popular tourist sites, despite 75 per cent expressing a desire to see more of what the city has to offer and to explore like a well-informed local.

Voting closes on December 31, 2019. A global panel of judges, featuring acclaimed National Geographic Photographer Charlie Hamilton James, @WallStreetPaper and Harlem Capital’s Brandon Bryant as well as several well-travelled members of the InterContinental Ambassador loyalty programme will lend their expertise to curating the top five InterContinental ICons in each city, with the final reveal and celebration in early 2020. — VNS