|
|
|
You can get e-magazine links on WhatsApp. Click here
|
|
|
|
|
|
InterContinental Hotels Group to expand in UAE capital with two hotels
|
|
Friday, 11 July, 2014, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
|
|
Abu Dhabi
|
|
fiogf49gjkf0d InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) announced the signing of two new hotels in Abu Dhabi. While InterContinental Abu Dhabi - Grand Marina would be its second InterContinental property in the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Holiday Abu Dhabi Downtown would be that chain’s second property in the emirate.
A twenty-year management agreement was inked with the National Corporation of Tourism and Hotels for the former. Located in proximity to InterContinental Abu Dhabi, the new 184-key hotel would feature rooms and serviced apartments, along with a range of food and beverage facilities.
These include a Michelin-starred signature restaurant with a rooftop bar; a lounge and bar with a terrace and private dining rooms and a destination bar. Slated to open in 2016, the hotel would also have extensive meeting space catering to the ever-growing meetings, incentives, conferencing and exhibitions (MICE) market.
IHG also inked a management agreement with Pearl Azure Hotel Management LLC for the 257-key Holiday Inn Abu Dhabi Downtown, which would be a conversion of the current Sands Hotel in downtown Abu Dhabi. Featuring a restaurant and bar, the new hotel would undergo refurbishment and open as a Holiday Inn by the end of 2014.
The National Corporation of Tourism and Hotels and Pearl Azure Hotel Management LLC already have three IHG properties across the Emirates - InterContinental Abu Dhabi, Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi and Crowne Plaza Dubai. With these new signings comes the renewal of the management agreement for the existing InterContinental Abu Dhabi.
Pascal Gauvin, chief operating officer, India, Middle East and Africa, IHG, commented, “As the capital of the UAE and one of the fastest-growing cities in the Middle-East, Abu Dhabi is a key market for IHG, and we see strong potential for all our brands here.”
“Our owners play an important role in our growth strategy, and we are committed to building long-term relationships with them. We have had a long and successful partnership with the National Corporation of Tourism and Hotels and Pearl Azure Hotel Management LLC for nearly two decades now,” he added.
“The signing of the new InterContinental and Holiday Inn is a fantastic step in for both our owners and IHG, and we are looking forward to continuing our partnership to develop more industry-leading hotels for the growing travel market in Abu Dhabi,” Gauvin stated.
Mohamed Mounib, group chief executive officer, National Corporation of Tourism and Hotels and Pearl Azure Hotel Management LLC commented, “We have been working with IHG for about 20 years now, and the three properties we have under their management have seen steady growth and healthy returns over the years.”
“With the growth in demand for mid-scale hotels in the UAE, it is also a good time for us to add the Holiday Inn brand into our portfolio,” he added.
“We are very pleased to be extending our partnership with IHG to add two new hotels to Abu Dhabi, which puts us in a good position to cater to the growing number of business and leisure travellers in the city,” Mounib stated.
IHG currently has 18 hotels open in the UAE across five brands, with another seven in the pipeline.
There are five IHG properties operating in Abu Dhabi - an InterContinental hotel, two Crowne Plaza hotels, a Holiday Inn and a Staybridge Suites.
This latest announcement brings the total number of properties in IHG's development pipeline for Abu Dhabi to three, including a new Staybridge Suites, which would open in the next three to five years.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|