IHG to launch Holiday Inn Express brand in India
29 October 2010
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has signed a series of new management contracts that mark the entry of its Holiday Inn Express brand in India.
The hotel group announced it has forged an agreement with Delhi-based developer Amrapali Group for the management of six new hotels under the Holiday Inn Express and Holiday Inn brands in the country.
The new properties are: Holiday Inn Express Noida Extension: 200 rooms, scheduled to open in 2013; Holiday Inn Express Indore Pithampur: 150 rooms, scheduled to open in 2013; Holiday Inn Express Jaipur Hitech City: 200 rooms, scheduled to open in 2014; Holiday Inn Express Kochi Aluva Junction: 150 rooms, scheduled to open in 2015; Holiday Inn Patna: 150 rooms, scheduled to open in 2014; and the Holiday Inn Suites Noida Sector 76: 150 rooms, scheduled to open in 2013.
“With strong economic growth and an expanding middle class, demand for the mid-market and limited service segments will grow exponentially in India. Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express will address the need for branded, high-quality and value-based hotels in these segments. These six hotels add momentum to our India pipeline, which now stands at 45 hotels. Close to 70% of this pipeline is with the Holiday Inn brand,” said Jan Smits, managing director, IHG Asia Australasia.
IHG currently operates 12 hotels in key Indian cities and plans to triple its presence in India by 2015. Properties in the pipeline will be in New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Cochin, Kolkata, and Pune among other locations.
The contract also marks an extension of IHG’s relationship with Amrapali Group; IHG currently has seven hotels in total under development with Amrapali Group, including a Crowne Plaza in Udaipur, which is scheduled for completion by the end of 2014.
