The new Racquet Cruiser takes selected spectators from Flushing to Manhattan, extending IHG’s sports partnership into a practical post-match service.
IHG Hotels & Resorts has introduced a complimentary premium motorcoach at the 2026 US Open, using the often-overlooked journey away from the tournament to extend its hospitality beyond the hotel.
The IHG Racquet Cruiser will operate following selected night sessions, carrying eligible ticket holders from the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing to two IHG properties in Manhattan: Kimpton Hotel Eventi and Crowne Plaza HY36 Midtown Manhattan.
The 24-seat coach is scheduled to run on 1 and 2 September. Spectators with a valid US Open ticket can enter for a place by scanning a QR code at the IHG Racquet Bar inside the tournament grounds. Participants will be selected at random and notified by text during the match.
On board, passengers will have access to Wi-Fi, device charging, post-match replays, Prince Street Pizza, express facial treatments and surprise gifts. The combination is deliberately closer to a compact hotel experience than a conventional event shuttle.
The activation marks IHG’s eighth year as the official hotel and hotel loyalty programme of the US Open. Rather than relying entirely on courtside visibility or corporate hospitality, the company is placing its brand within a specific point of friction in the spectator journey.
Leaving a major sporting event can be markedly less enjoyable than attending it. Transport queues, crowded stations and fluctuating ride-hailing prices can bring an otherwise premium evening to an abrupt end. The Racquet Cruiser does not resolve that challenge at scale, but it demonstrates how a hotel group can identify a neglected part of an event experience and apply hospitality thinking to it.
Connor Smith, IHG’s Senior Vice President of Global Brands, Luxury, Lifestyle and Masterbrand, said the company wanted to carry the comfort and thoughtful touches associated with its hotels into an unexpected part of the US Open journey.
The coach forms one part of IHG’s wider presence at the tournament. The IHG Racquet Bar has returned to the grounds, along with its Watermelon Slice cocktail, served in a tennis-inspired collectible cup. IHG One Rewards members can also access customised merchandise and limited-time redemption packages connected to the tournament and the group’s wider portfolio of sports partnerships.
Together, these elements show how hotel loyalty programmes are moving beyond room upgrades and points-based transactions. Sports partnerships give hospitality companies access to travellers during the moments that surround a stay, including planning, entertainment, dining and local transport.
For IHG, the Racquet Cruiser also creates a visible connection between the tournament and its Manhattan hotels. The passengers may represent only a small proportion of the US Open audience, but the activation gives the company a tangible service to communicate across social media, earned media and its loyalty channels.
That distinction matters. Many sponsorship activations ask consumers to engage with a brand through a display, competition or branded product. The Racquet Cruiser provides something immediately useful at the point when spectators are likely to value comfort most.
Its limited capacity and two-night schedule mean it should be understood as a high-touch marketing activation rather than a transport solution. Its broader value will depend on whether the experience generates sustained engagement beyond the passengers who board it.
Even so, the underlying idea is relevant for hospitality marketers. A hotel brand does not necessarily need to remain inside the hotel to demonstrate what hospitality means. Sometimes the more memorable opportunity lies in improving the part of the journey that nobody else has considered.
