November 24, 2017 TnH Global

IHG partners with SAMHI to expand Holiday Inn Express portfolio in India

Milestone agreement will increase IHG’s current system size in India by 34%

IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group), one of the world’s leading hotel companies, has partnered with SAMHI to re-brand approximately 2000 rooms (operating and under construction) within its India hotel portfolio, to Holiday Inn Express hotels.

The recently signed portfolio comprises 14 hotels, including ten open hotels across key cities such as Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Mumbai. The additional four hotels are under construction. The signing sees IHG grow its pipeline by 41 hotels, positioning IHG as one of the largest players in India’s growing mid-scale hotel market.

All hotels in the portfolio will be closed while they are being refurbished and upgraded with the latest design directives, to ensure the portfolio is fully representative of the Holiday Inn Express brand globally. The hotels will feature the next-generation design, several additional public areas and feature brand hallmarks to enhance guest service delivery.

Commenting on the announcement, Sudeep Jain, Vice President, Development, South West Asia, IHG said: “It is with great pride and excitement that we are announcing our partnership with SAMHI for conversion of their existing mid-market hotel portfolio in India to Holiday Inn Express. This is a significant move towards establishing IHG as a leading player in the midscale hotel segment in India, while we continue to build on our upscale and luxury offering in the country with InterContinental Hotels & Resorts and Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts.”

Jain added “With this signing, we now have close to 60 hotels open and in the pipeline, across the Holiday Inn Brand Family. SAMHI is keen to accelerate Holiday Inn Express’ highly efficient operating model and engage the brand’s growing familiarity in the country. Holiday Inn Express is the rest and go hotel brand that delivers a smarter travel experience by providing more where it matters most. The brand in combination with IHG’s strong distribution systems, preferred brands, top revenue management tools, best in class loyalty program, and constant focus on training and empowering employees, will ensure our joint success.”

Ashish Jakhanwala, MD & CEO, SAMHI said: “We are delighted to be partnering with IHG and bringing their world class Holiday Inn Express brand into our business portfolio. We look forward to working with IHG to develop the brand further and create an excellent offering for our domestic as well as international guests across Tier 1 cities in India, where there has been a noteworthy increase in demand for quality accommodation in mid-segment.”

Jakhanwala added: “We believe that the re-positioning and rebranding of more than 1,900 rooms to Holiday Inn Express will be the largest such exercise in India’s hospitality sector to date. This landmark collaboration will help us to further strengthen our hospitality portfolio in the country.”

The partnership has strengthened IHG’s presence across India, with the newly signed hotels located across 11 key cities, resulting in 90% of our Holiday Inn Express portfolio being concentrated in Tier 1 cities.

IHG currently has 30 hotels operating across four brands in India, including InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express, with a further 33 in the development pipeline. The SAMHI signing with see another 14 hotels added to the development pipeline.