Podcast 333 – How IHG Became One of Dunwoody’s Biggest Community Partners – Colin Macdonald

Podcast 333 – How IHG Became One of Dunwoody’s Biggest Community Partners – Colin Macdonald

IHG Hotels & Resorts, headquartered behind Ravinia in Dunwoody, Georgia, is the only platinum sponsor of the 2026 Dunwoody Parade, marking its 50th anniversary this Saturday. I sat down with Colin Macdonald, who runs IHG’s Franchise Operations across the U.S. and Canada from that same building, home to about 1,300 employees, to talk about everything from military-base hotels to the fight against human trafficking.

In This Episode

• IHG Hotels & Resorts is the platinum sponsor of the 2026 Dunwoody Parade, celebrating the parade’s 50th anniversary on Saturday, July 4.
• Colin Macdonald, SVP and Managing Director of Franchise Operations for the U.S. and Canada, oversees roughly 4,300 IHG franchise hotels across 21 brands.
• IHG Army Hotels places Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites, and Candlewood Suites properties directly on U.S. military bases.
• The Crowne Plaza Atlanta Perimeter at Ravinia has undergone a multi-million dollar renovation under General Manager Sharon Kilmartin.
• IHG partners with the Atlanta Alliance Against Trafficking, Wellspring Living, and Georgia First Lady Marty Kemp to fight human trafficking.

 

Why IHG Signed On as the Dunwoody Parade’s Platinum Sponsor

This Saturday, Dunwoody throws its 50th annual 4th of July Parade, and IHG Hotels & Resorts is showing up as the platinum sponsor. That’s a big deal, because the parade doesn’t happen without sponsors like this one.

I asked Colin why IHG got involved this year. His answer wasn’t complicated. IHG colleague Dan Klein came to Colin about six months ago and told him he had to see this parade for himself. From there, the decision came together fast, but it only made sense because IHG already has deep roots in this neighborhood. The Dunwoody Parade sponsorship wasn’t dreamed up in a corporate office in London. It grew out of a company that’s been part of this community for decades.

If you’re at the Dunwoody Parade Saturday, look for the IHG team. They’ll be handing out giveaways at their Festival table and along the parade route, including IHG One Rewards point vouchers you can use at any of their properties. Platinum sponsors are the top tier for this parade, and the parade genuinely could not happen without companies stepping up at that level. That’s the kind of showing up I love to see from a company this size, especially one most people drive past every day without realizing it’s headquartered right here.

 

IHG Dunwoody Roots: Thirty Years Behind Ravinia

IHG has had its Americas headquarters tucked behind Ravinia for more than thirty years now. About 1,300 corporate colleagues work out of that building every day, and the company runs five hotels in the Dunwoody area alone, plus eighty more across metro Atlanta.

Colin didn’t sugarcoat the early years either. He told me that when he started at IHG twelve years ago, people had no idea what the company even was. You’d say you worked at IHG and get a blank stare back. Now the company has grown from ten brands to twenty one. Its master brand, IHG Hotels & Resorts, is a name most Dunwoody residents recognize thanks to the Crowne Plaza Atlanta Perimeter at Ravinia.

IHG’s leaders are woven into Atlanta’s civic fabric too. CEO Jolyon Bulley serves on the Atlanta Committee for Progress, and SVP of Communications Tom Curry sits on the Metro Atlanta Chamber board. Those aren’t just resume lines. They’re part of why a global company keeps showing up locally.

IHG also runs a design center in Atlanta’s Upper Westside, tucked into a warehouse district on the west side of the city. At any given time, the space has eight to ten fully built-out brand rooms and lobby concepts on display. Franchise owners and visiting colleagues from IHG’s London office can walk through and see the brands in person before they’re built anywhere else.

Mark Galvin with Discover Dunwoody speaks highly of IHG too, and their trolley bus tour is a great way for IHG employees to get to know the city. I’ve had the fun job of emceeing that tour a few times myself, and it’s a great way to learn about Dunwoody.

 

What Are IHG Army Hotels, and Why They Matter Here

One part of IHG’s business I didn’t know about until this conversation is IHG Army Hotels. Across the country, IHG runs twenty or thirty hotels directly on U.S. military bases, branded as Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites, and Candlewood Suites. You can’t get onto the property without a base pass.

IHG manages these hotels day to day, which means running a 700-room Holiday Inn Express that serves ten breakfast lines at once instead of the one you’d see in a hundred-room hotel. Colin called it a way to serve the people who serve us, and he’s right. It also teaches IHG how to operate in an environment completely different from a typical franchise hotel.

Given that this year’s Dunwoody Parade honors the country’s 250th anniversary, this felt like the right year to bring it up. Our parade organizers are working to get as many veterans as possible out to the parade, which lines up naturally with a business built around serving military families every day. It’s a corner of IHG’s business most guests never think about, and honestly, it’s my favorite thing I learned in this entire conversation.

 

Sharon Kilmartin and the Ravinia Renovation That Changed Everything

If you’ve visited the Crowne Plaza Atlanta Perimeter at Ravinia recently, you already know it doesn’t feel like your average hotel. That’s largely thanks to a multi-million dollar renovation and the woman who’s run the property for more than ten years, General Manager Sharon Kilmartin.

Colin credited her directly for the way the whole property runs, from the staff to the team on the ground. She does it right. Colin mentions how they had sushi and caviar out for a special event. That’s not something you see at every hotel banquet around here, and it’s a sign of how far the food and beverage program has come.

The renovation was intentional. IHG invested in Ravinia because the area already hosts a ton of clients and visitors, and the hotel needed to match that energy. It worked. The Crowne Plaza Ravinia is what the future of the Crowne Plaza brand actually looks like, and it’s still setting the pace.

 

Why Parkwoods and the Backyard Deserve a Spot on Your Dunwoody Bucket List

On the ground floor of the Ravinia hotel sits Parkwoods, a restaurant and bar that’s become one of the better-kept secrets in Dunwoody. Out back is the Backyard at Parkwoods, an outdoor patio and garden space that borders Ravinia Gardens and a wooded area with walking trails most Dunwoody residents have never explored.

Every December, IHG lights up the Backyard for the holidays, and it’s genuinely one of my favorite scenes in town. Grab a drink, sit outside under the trees, and you’d never guess you were a few hundred feet from 285. Behind the hotel, there’s a wooded area with walking trails that connect into Ravinia Gardens. Most people in Dunwoody have never set foot back there, even though it’s open and worth the walk.

I’ve recorded a couple of podcasts over at Ravinia, and every time I leave more impressed with what they’ve built there. It’s also a great spot for a night out without the kids, drinks, good food, and a setting that doesn’t feel like a hotel patio at all. If you live in Dunwoody and haven’t made it over to Parkwoods or the Backyard yet, consider that your homework for this year.

 

IHG’s Fight Against Human Trafficking in Atlanta

Not every part of this conversation was lighthearted, and it shouldn’t be. IHG is deeply involved in combating human trafficking here in Atlanta, and Colin walked me through why it matters to the company.

IHG partners in the Atlanta Alliance Against Trafficking, working alongside the mayor’s office, government agencies, and companies like UPS and Delta to raise awareness. That work ramps up especially around major events like the World Cup, Super Bowls, and NCAA March Madness. IHG also partners with Wellspring Living, an organization focused on helping women who’ve experienced trafficking rebuild their lives.

Georgia First Lady Marty Kemp has become one of the most vocal advocates on this issue, and IHG works with her office and the Georgia Attorney General’s office on training and legislation. That includes a bill recently passed through the Georgia legislature requiring anyone in hospitality or vacation rentals to be trained on recognizing signs of trafficking.

As Colin put it, hotels sometimes attract bad actors, and IHG sees it as their duty to make sure staff are trained to spot it. That’s exactly the kind of responsibility a company with this many hotel rooms should be taking seriously, and I appreciated him being direct about it on the show.

 

How the World Cup Is Reshaping Hotel Demand in Atlanta

Atlanta has been in the middle of World Cup action, and Colin gave me an inside look at how that’s affected IHG’s hotels. Demand has depended heavily on which teams are playing where, from Scottish fans overtaking Boston to Atlanta landing its own semifinal game.

IHG even built an AI dashboard tracking the odds of every game to help hotels understand demand patterns before fans know where they’re traveling. I went to the Congo versus Uzbekistan match with my kids, twelve dollar jerseys and all, and by the final whistle we were rooting for Congo. That’s the kind of energy this tournament has brought to the city.

A lot of IHG’s hotels have leaned into the moment too, with fake soccer goals and flags set up in lobbies across the portfolio. It makes guests feel like they’re part of the tournament wherever they’re staying. None of this happens without people like Dan Corso and the Atlanta Sports Council, who’ve spent decades bringing events like the Super Bowl and the College Football Playoff to Atlanta. IHG also partners with Kennesaw State University, Georgia State University, Morehouse College, and Clark Atlanta University on hospitality career programs. The pipeline of local talent behind all of this runs deep too.

 

Connect with IHG and Colin Macdonald

If this conversation made you want to see Ravinia for yourself, plan a visit. Book a stay at the Crowne Plaza Atlanta Perimeter at Ravinia, grab dinner at Parkwoods, or head to the Backyard at Parkwoods for a drink under the trees. If you’re already an IHG One Rewards member, ask about earning points on your next stay.

Thanks to Colin Macdonald and the whole IHG team for showing up for the Dunwoody Parade this year, and thanks to local resident Dan Klein for pushing to make it happen from the inside. This episode is also brought to you by Dr. Bret Freedman with Village Orthodontics, one of our longtime sponsors.

And if you’re thinking about moving to Dunwoody, or you’re just curious about the Dunwoody real estate market, I’m around. Call me at 404-502-8683 or grab a time here. That’s the other hat I wear, and I never get tired of it.

 

What Is What’s Up Dunwoody?

What’s Up Dunwoody is a local media platform created by REALTOR® Matt Weber, focused on living in Dunwoody, moving to Dunwoody, and staying connected to the community. It began as a podcast and has grown into social media content, local guides, and two of the largest Dunwoody-focused Facebook groups where residents share recommendations and stay in the loop. Matt has expanded slightly outside of Dunwoody and now covers the entire top end of the Perimeter through his Top End ATL channels.

Matt is a Dunwoody REALTOR® who helps people navigate buying, selling, and moving in the area. Stay in the loop with local updates, listings, and insights by signing up here: whatsupdunwoody.com/email