British-based InterContinental is doing away with top-hatted, tailcoated, white-gloved doormen at its luxury hotels in favor of a more relaxed look.

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Doormen now will be dressed in plain gray suits and will not snatch bags from every new arrival. Instead, they will discern if guests would prefer to carry their luggage themselves, London's Daily Telegraph reports.

The company says its market research showed travelers, particularly business people, wanted a more relaxed image.

"Customers are telling us that they want the service elements of a five-star hotel, but don't necessarily want the stuffy, intimidating approach," spokesman Leslie McGibbon says.

"The doormen themselves are pleased to wear something more relevant to them than what people wore 50 years ago," McGibbon adds.

The traditional doorman uniform had remained unchanged since the InterContinental Hotels Group was formed 60 years ago, the Daily Telegraph said.

The hotel chain can be traced back to 1777, when William Bass opened a brewery in the south-central England town of Burton-upon-Trent.