IHG Breaks Ground on Holiday Inn Express in Rio Branco

InterContinental Hotels Group has broken ground on the Holiday Inn Express Rio Branco in Brazil.

The new-build hotel is scheduled to open in late 2013, just in time for the forthcoming FIFA World Cup in Brazil. When the property opens, it will be IHG’s first hotel in Rio Branco.

The 110-room Holiday Inn Express Rio Branco is owned by Inter Oceanica Hotelaria Ltda under a license agreement with a company in the InterContinental Hotels Group.

The hotel will be located in the center of Rio Branco’s downtown area within close distance to multiple tourist attractions.

The nine-story hotel will feature four meeting rooms, an outdoor pool, bar, a fully-equipped business center and gym.

Rio Branco, the capital of the northwest Brazilian state of Acre and the most populated county in the state, was chosen to be a site of Transoceanic Highway, a major project that connects Rio Branco to the two main ports in Peru. This encourages trade between Peru and Brazil and opens a market for importing food products and building materials, which Peru is eagerly anticipating, especially with the construction boom and the infrastructure projects that are currently underway for the FIFA World Cup 2014.

The hotel will feature the complimentary Express Start breakfast bar with a range of breakfast items, including a rotation of egg and meat selections, biscuits, yogurt, fruit and the brand’s proprietary cinnamon roll and Smart Roast coffee. The SimplySmart shower will incorporate a proprietary Stay Smart Kohler showerhead, signature shower curtain with curved rod, 100% cotton terry towels and a custom line of cinnamon-scented bath products. Beds will have 200 thread-count sheets.

“As Brazilian cities use upcoming sporting events to brand themselves in Latin America and across the globe, as well as improve their local infrastructures, we look forward to seeing an increase in leisure and business travel as a result,” said Alvaro Diago, COO, IHG, Latin America and the Caribbean. “Mid-scale brands will benefit the most from this demand as well as the burgeoning middle class that is driving consumption in this high-growth market.”

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