IHG set for mid-scale hotel brand expansion in New Zealand

IHG set for mid-scale hotel brand expansion in New Zealand

Sydney, Australia, 26 July 2016: InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), one of the world’s leading hotel companies, has announced it will add its first Holiday Inn hotel in Queenstown later this year following the conversion of the former Goldridge Resort; and a new build 120-room Holiday Inn Express hotel in Christchurch city centre, to open in 2018.

The new hotels will operate under franchise agreements in partnership with USAR Queenstown Ltd and USAR Christchurch Limited, backed by well-known New Zealand hoteliers, the Sarin family.

The rebrand of the Goldridge Resort to Holiday Inn Queenstown will officially take place in December 2016 following a $3.5million refurbishment of rooms and public areas. A 50-room extension to the property is also planned for the near future adding to the hotel’s existing 75 rooms. The property overlooks the Frankton Arm inlet of Lake Wakatipu, with easy access to The Remarkables and Coronet Peak ski fields. The hotel will join IHG’s Crowne Plaza Queenstown to offer two internationally branded hotels in one of New Zealand’s key tourism destinations.

The new Holiday Inn Express Christchurch hotel, set to open late 2018, will sit conveniently in the Christchurch CBD and a mere 100 metres from the new convention centre due to open in 2019. The property will also be within reach of “The Frame”, a large green space featuring cafes and restaurants, cycle paths, walkways and large landscaped areas for festivals and events. IHG also has a Crowne Plaza hotel currently under construction in Christchurch due to open mid-2017.

Karin Sheppard, COO Australasia & Japan, IHG said: “There is high demand for hotels in key destinations across New Zealand - including both Queenstown and Christchurch - as the result of a thriving tourism economy.

“Tourism is a growing $32 billion industry for New Zealand with hotel room nights on a steady increase over the last two years, both from domestic travellers (9.2% increase) and international travellers (13% increase).

We are therefore delighted to announce the signing of these two new hotels as a further extension of our midscale brand expansion in the region.”

Raman Sarin, Head of Sarin Investments said: “With international tourism numbers on the rise it was important to partner with an established global brand. Both Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express have a huge presence in all of our key source markets and we are confident of the success of these two new hotels in Queenstown and Christchurch.”

Upon completion of the refurbishment, Holiday Inn Queenstown will offer guests a great selection of amenities including a fully-furnished deck with BBQ facilities; a bar and restaurant featuring exquisite lake and mountain views; access to the sauna to unwind after a long day at the slopes and tennis courts for the summer months.

Holiday Inn Express is a high quality select service brand providing guests with ‘everything they need and nothing they don’t’. Guests at Holiday Inn Express Christchurch will enjoy a smart and convenient stay which includes the essentials such as Free and fast Wi-Fi available in guest rooms and throughout the hotel; Free Express Start™ Breakfast or a Grab & Go option; and a comfortable and restful sleep with high quality bedding and pillow menu.

IHG currently has 5 hotels operating under three brands in New Zealand: InterContinental, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn, with Holiday Inn Express Christchurch city centre marking the launch of the fourth brand in the country.

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