Ruby Hotels Arrives in Manhattan. IHG Paid $116M for the Right to Call Small Rooms "Lean Luxury."
IHG is converting a 1930s Manhattan building into 187 rooms under a European brand most American operators have never heard of. The question isn't whether the lobby bar will be charming... it's whether "lean luxury" is a real category or just a nicer way to say "small rooms, big franchise fees."