InterContinental Hotels Group and Panthers World of Entertainment to establish Holiday Inn Penrith Panthers

Penrith, west of Sydney, is set to become the newest home of Holiday Inn following an agreement between InterContinental Hotels Group and Panthers Entertainment Group to re-brand the existing accommodation at Panthers World of Entertainment as Holiday Inn Penrith Panthers.

The re-branding will see one of the world's most recognised midscale hotel brands established at the largest and most successful licensed club in Australia. The hotel will become Australia's 18th Holiday Inn and the 22nd Holiday Inn established in the Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific region by InterContinental Hotels Group.

Panthers World of Entertainment is located in the Western Sydney city of Penrith at the foot of the Blue Mountains National Park. Holiday Inn Penrith Panthers will feature 216 accommodation rooms with access to the club's wide range of restaurants, live entertainment venues, bars, meeting and conferencing facilities, gaming and outdoor leisure options including the Aqua Golf Driving Range.

Panthers World of Entertainment is the jewel in Panthers Entertainment Group's stable of 14 licensed clubs across New South Wales in major regional locations such as Albury, Bathurst, Newcastle and Port Macquarie.

"Panthers World of Entertainment has 50,000 members, is one of the most extensive entertainment complexes in the country and recognises the value of high-profile brands to drive awareness and broaden its customer base. This combined with the global strength of the Holiday Inn brand will make Holiday Inn Penrith Panthers an addition of significant potential to our existing regional portfolio," said InterContinental Hotels Group Chief Operating Officer for Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific, Phil Lee.

"Our strategy for Holiday Inn is to establish the brand in highly-frequented locations for corporate, leisure and meetings business. Holiday Inn Penrith Panthers is a core element of this strategy, complementing our existing hotels in Western Sydney including Crowne Plaza Parramatta and Holiday Inn Rooty Hill. Through our partnership with Panthers Entertainment Group, we will also be able to provide the 130,000 club members across the State with access to our range of products and special offers," Mr Lee said.

Holiday Inn will be the latest major brand to be introduced to Panthers World of Entertainment, which is also home to food brands McDonalds, KFC, Spurs, Panarottis, Lone Star and most recently Krispy Kreme, which established its first Australian retail outlet at the complex last month.

"Having strong partners that can enhance your offering to members and customers is a sound strategy. We went to a lot of effort to find the accommodation brand that best fits our facility and forward plans, and the Holiday Inn brand was the most compatible in terms of culture, market appeal and the philosophy of being 'The Place To Be Yourself'," said Panthers Entertainment Group General Manager, Glen Matthews.

"Having access to InterContinental Hotels Group's global network and selling power will help to build upon our strong market position. The strong awareness of the Holiday Inn brand linked with the Group's global promotion, loyalty and reservations systems were convincing factors when deciding on the best way forward for our hotel. Panthers Entertainment Group has led the industry in establishing Panthers World of Entertainment as the one-stop entertainment centre, and Holiday Inn Penrith Panthers will be key in the support of that promise." Mr Matthews added.