City Inn has rebranded its six UK-wide properties as Mint Hotel prior to opening two new hotels in the coming months.

The name change came about after the executives at City Inn decided that their brand was being misperceived in the marketplace, and that their name didn’t do justice to the brand experience reported by customers.

Following research by the UK-based market research agency BDRC, these suspicions were confirmed – customers’ experiences were undervalued by general market perception.

David Orr, chief executive and co-founder of the brand, said that the new identity “embraces the quality and modernity of what we do. Mint Hotel reflects our commitment to exceptional modern buildings, service culture and ethos.”

The new identity has been rolled out online and at the existing properties in Bristol, Glasgow, Birmingham, London (Westminster), Manchester, and Leeds. Mint Hotel’s second London hotel, by the Tower of London, will open in December, before a 553-room property opens in Amsterdam – the first overseas venture for the company – in Spring 2011.