IHG Opens First Holiday Inn Express Hotel in India

IHG has opened the first Holiday Inn Express hotel in India.

The Holiday Inn Express Ahmedabad, and a further 18 properties under the same brand, are being developed through a joint venture partnership between Duet India Hotels (DIH) which holds a 76% stake and InterContinental Hotels Group which has a 24% equity stake.

Located in close proximity to the airport and city centre, the 173-room property offers a core range of facilities as well as complimentary Wi-Fi and breakfast.

“We’ve identified a gap for quality mid-market hotels across the country and fulfilling the growing demands of these guests is our business focus. The mid-market hotel space in India offers a compelling investment proposition, with favourable demand-supply dynamics and an attractive build cost to operating returns equation,” said Naveen Jain, President, Duet India Hotels. “Our strategic partnership with IHG gives us with the platform to tap into the full potential of this opportunity. At Duet we concentrate on the property asset - using our expertise to find the right site and building the product. IHG then manage the operation of the hotels on our behalf. The strengths of our two organisations combined will ensure these hotels succeed.”

There are 37 Holiday Inn Express hotels across Asia Pacific and this will grow to nearly 100 over the next few years, making Holiday Inn Express one of the fastest growing brands in the region.

Douglas Martell, Vice President Operations, South West Asia, IHG said, “The demand is there for branded hotels that people know and trust - midscale hotels in India currently represent just 15% of all hotel rooms and this means there’s incredible headroom for growth. If you look at domestic trips, Ahmedabad is one of the cities benefitting from a strong, local travel base and a clear gap exists here in the mid-market segment.”

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