Bass Hotels & Resorts Becomes Six Continents Hotels

Bass Hotels & Resorts (BHR) today changed its name to Six Continents Hotels. The change, reflecting the Company’s ever-expanding reach in the global hotel business, has been made in conjunction with the global re-branding of Bass PLC to Six Continents PLC.

Signifying the final departure for the Group from it’s brewing origins following last year’s sale of Bass Brewers to Interbrew for £2.3 billion, the new name will help to communicate the extent of the Company’s transformation over recent years and highlight its commitment to expanding its hotel operations.

“By re-branding Bass to Six Continents Hotels, we will clearly demarcate the past and highlight the Company’s focus on the hospitality business in the future,” said Six Continents Hotels, Chief Operating Officer Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific (ANZSP), Tony South.

“Six Continents Hotels has undergone enormous changes in this region over the last eighteen months and the new branding reflects our commitment to achieving a leading market position in ANZSP. The new name captures the global spread of our business, which is trading in close to 100 countries and has a clear association with travel.

“The timing of our re-branding to Six Continents Hotels is perfect considering the present rollout of our global Inter-Continental, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn brands across the region. With an on-going strategy poised to make acquisitions as required, we are confident the new name will increase interest among shareholders and owners operating within the Six Continents Hotels suite of hotel brands,” Mr South said.

Bass was required to cease using its name by August 2002 as part of the agreement attached to the sale of its brewing business to the Belgian brewer, which bought the Bass name – one of the UK’s oldest trade marks and virtually synonymous with beer – as part of the deal.

Bass PLC spent AUD$1 million creating the logo and researching the new name, which was suggested by an employee and is the name of the Inter-Continental global guest recognition club. Bass PLC presented the new name to shareholders at an Extraordinary General Meeting on July 20 and received approval to use the new name Six Continents PLC by July 30.

The new logo, which combines the numeral six and a lower-case letter c against a deep blue rectangular background, is intentionally clean and distinctive in keeping with the red triangle trademark it is replacing.

“Not only does the new name support our strategy, its global application is made much easier by the fact that the Company already owned the name and associated indicia through Inter-Continental. Six Continents Hotels sends a clear message that we are a major global company, with a leading portfolio of brands and a great diversity of people and skills placing us in an excellent position for sustained regional and international growth,” Mr South added.