InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), one of the world’s leading hotel companies, has today announced the signing of eight new hotels within the Holiday Inn brand family in Germany.
The announcement comes as IHG has recently reported a strong year for the market, and three consecutive record years of signings, including 17 hotels in 2016. One of the key drivers of IHG’s success in the region has been working with Multiple Development Agreement (MDA) partners to develop in locations where there is guest demand.
“We have a tailored offer for the German market, and this has paid off,Ó said Martin Bowen, Vice President, Development, Germany. ÒSeveral of these new hotels are all with long-standing MDA partners who have established relationships with IHG, and understand the returns both Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express deliver.”
Germany, which was one of the top ten regions for inbound travel in 2016, is a competitive market in which IHG has already made a significant impact. 57 per cent of the market is still unbranded, meaning there remain plenty of growth opportunities in the market, particularly within the midscale sector, IHG’s growth engine.
All the new hotels will feature the innovations developed as part of the Holiday Inn brand family transformation. For Holiday Inn, this includes the Open Lobby, in which guests can enjoy dwell-time in the merged restaurant, bar and lounge area. Holiday Inn Express hotels will feature the next-generation room design, which, based on guest insight has revolutionised the design of our public spaces and guest rooms, improved service delivery, and introduced new technology to enhance guest service.
Germany is IHG’s second biggest market in Europe with 69 hotels and 38 in the pipeline.
The hotels signed are:
Holiday Inn Munich Ð North and Holiday Inn Express Munich – North (Ingolstaedter Strasse) which will be run as a dual branded property. Both hotels are part of Primestar Hospitality multiple development agreement. Holiday Inn Munich Ð North will feature 156 rooms, a gym, 11 meeting rooms and four smaller meeting spaces, and Holiday Inn Express Munich North (Ingolstaedter Strasse) will feature 236 rooms. The property will have a shared restaurant and will benefit from being just a few kilometres away from the Allianz Arena and BMW Museum.
Holiday Inn Express Berlin – City Kurfuerstendamm is one of two hotels signed with partners Foremost Hospitality GmbH. The hotel, which will feature the next-generation room design in each of its 177 rooms, will be open in the heart of the former West Berlin and only a few minutes away from one of Berlin«s main shopping districts, the Kurfrstendamm.
Also signed with Foremost Hospitality is Holiday Inn Express Leipzig – City Hauptbahnhof (Brandenburgerstr). The 168-room hotel will be located next to Leipzig central station, the most important rail hub in Eastern Germany. It will be 10-15 minutes’ walk away from downtown Leipzig and the city’s university. Automotive manufacturers BMW and Porsche are also based in the area.
Holiday Inn Express Frth, which has been signed with tristar GmbH, will be situated opposite the city’s Stadthalle auditorium and within walking distance of restaurants, pubs and the main station, but also close to the businesses based in the city. The new build will feature next-generation rooms and a refurbished lobby and ample car-parking space. IHG also signed Holiday Inn Express Saarbrcken, a 163 room conversion of a post-war office building. The hotel will feature two large meeting areas and ample car-parking space.
As part of a 20 hotel MDA with one of largest hotel groups in Germany, NOVUM Hotel Group, IHG has also signed Holiday Inn Express Erlangen, close to the Erlangen city centre. The 186-room new build property will be will be within walking distance of the main train station and is part of a wider urban development with access to residential and shopping facilities.
In its first partnership with IHG, IFA Immobilien has signed Holiday Inn Express Merzig, a unique 86-room new build hotel, located within a new business park with direct access from the motorway. Within walking distance to the town centre and the Yachting Club Merzig, the hotel will be the ideal choice for both business and leisure travellers.
