IHG Hotels & Resorts continues to demonstrate the strength of its Holiday Inn brand family in Southern Europe, as it signs 13 hotels and opens a further two, including a brand debut – Holiday Inn Express & Suites Portimão – and a market debut – Holiday Inn Express Sofia Airport in Bulgaria.
These signings and openings reflect IHG Hotels & Resorts’ strategic ambitions to grow at speed in the region, driven by world-renowned brands loved by guests and owners. The Holiday Inn brand family generated half of all IHG’s global openings in 2022 and around a third of signings. *
Willemijn Geels, VP Development Europe, IHG Hotels & Resorts said: “We’ve seen some impressive expansion across Southern Europe in recent years and the growth of our Holiday Inn brand family demonstrates the continuous confidence of owners in our essentials as a powerhouse brand. While we have diversified our brand portfolio to curate the best offering for guests and owners, our essentials brands will continue to drive the bulk of our ambitious growth – as can be seen with this collection of signings and openings. The brand family is also growing at pace globally and provides consistent, reliable, and welcoming stays for business and leisure travelers as they travel with us worldwide.”
Growth for the Holiday Inn brand family (comprising of three brands – Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express and Holiday Inn Express & Suites) spans the width of Europe from the Atlantic Ocean the Black Sea, including:
Spain: Holiday Inn Express Bilbao Sestao, a 105-room property is expected to open later this year in partnership with Cayman Group. Holiday Inn Express Madrid Airport, a 156-room property, is also set to open in partnership with Mr. Carlos Lavin & Alsotel and offers easy access to Spain’s busiest airport. Finishing off an outstanding trio and situated in the cultural capital of La Rioja just south of Bilbao, Holiday Inn Express Logroño, a 110 key hotel will mark the 20th Holiday Inn Express in Spain and is set to open later this year. The 17-strong (as of December 2022) open Holiday Inn Express portfolio in Spain are set to undergo significant transformation as part of the brand’s Next Generation design project.
Portugal: Holiday Inn Express Porto – Boavista (a 91-room property) along with Holiday Inn Express Evora (76 rooms) are both set to join the brand family late this year with partners Ace Hospitality Management. Expected to open in 2024, the 60-key Holiday Inn Express & Suites Portimão will be the first of IHG’s Holiday Inn Express family in the Algarve, and the first Holiday Inn Express & Suites branded hotel in Portugal, developed with Harland & Poston. Situated north of Porto and opening in 2024, Holiday Inn Braga will also join IHG’s portfolio with 114 rooms in partnership with Soliteight Hotel Projects, S.A.
France: Holiday Inn Express Marne-la-Vallée Val D ‘Europe opened in early February with partners Atalante, just minutes from Disneyland Paris. Developed by Unibricks and Twin Promotion, this 100-room low energy consumption hotel has a strong focus on sustainable solutions featuring solar panels and a water filtering basin. In the heart of Normandy and only two hours from Paris, the 70-key Holiday Inn Express Caen has also been signed in partnership with CREATIV’HOTELS.
Cyprus: Located on the shores of Cyprus, Holiday Inn Express Larnaca is set to open early 2025 in partnership with owner group Sunnyseeker. The new build hotel has 56 rooms and features a rooftop pool and bar amid the city centre, a stone’s throw away from Larnaca Marina and Larnaca Airport.
Bulgaria: Holiday Inn Express Sofia Airport is set to join the portfolio in early 2025 in partnership with Signa Development. The 152-room property will be a market debut for Holiday Inn Express in Bulgaria and is located only a short distance from the capital’s international airport.
Serbia: IHG has partnered with SMB GRADNJA to bring the Next Generation of style to northern Serbia – Holiday Inn Express Subotica, a 108-room hotel, is set to open in 2024. South of Subotica, Holiday Inn Express Kragujevac is also scheduled to open in 2024 with MR Business Group and will be the first international brand in the city.
Georgia: Earlier this year, Holiday Inn Express Tbilisi Avlabari, a 122-key hotel was opened by the Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia. Strengthening IHG’s presence in the region, Holiday Inn Express Batumi is set to open in 2025 through a franchise agreement with Guru Holdings. Developed as part of a new residential complex, the hotel will offer 100 rooms and is only 150 meters from the sea and a 5-minute drive from the city centre.
Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express account for over 50 per cent of IHG’s total estate in Europe with 544* open hotels, and a further total of 73 properties in the development pipeline. The ongoing rollout of Open Lobby and Next Generation designs ensures the hotels remain state-of-the-art and can continue to meet a range of guests needs from comfortable, affordable stays to convenient, flexible workspaces.
