Cardiff
The 95-room Cardiff property will open on North M4 Jct.32, three miles from the city centre, in just a few weeks. Operated by Kew Green Hotels, it will feature leisure facilities including a pool, spa, sauna and gym, as well as a bar and restaurant, board room and four meeting rooms.
Paul Johnson, CEO of Kew Green Hotels, said: “Holiday Inn is the strongest mid-market brand in the UK and we are delighted to add this newly renovated hotel to our existing portfolio of 25 Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express hotels. We look forward to continuing to grow our business with IHG through further management contracts and acquisitions.”
London West
Next will be the 225-room Holiday Inn London West, set to open this August. Including 75 new rooms and 150 refurbished rooms, it will operate under a franchise agreement with first-time IHG owner Mango Hotels. Featuring executive and meeting rooms, a rooftop open air terrace, a fitness studio and a renovated ground floor with open lobby, restaurant and coffee bar, the hotel will be located on Western Avenue, half way between Heathrow and central London.
Bassel Saad, owner of Mango Hotels, said: “We are very pleased to be rebranding our property as a Holiday Inn. This is our first of hopefully many franchises with IHG and we are excited to bring this hotel into the IHG family. Given the quality of the hotel, the team we have in place and the support from IHG, this venture is going to be a very successful one.”
London Heathrow T5
Holiday Inn London Heathrow T5 is also set to open this summer with 119 rooms. Operating under a franchise agreement with Arora Hotels, it will be located to the west of the M25 motorway with easy access to Heathrow Airport Terminal 5.
Surinder Arora, owner of Arora Hotels, commented: “We’re thrilled to be expanding our portfolio with IHG after signing InterContinental London – The O2 last year. This Holiday Inn hotel is the perfect place for those traveling with families or for airline crew and business travellers needing to stay nearby to the airport.”
Birmingham North
Opening in early 2015, Holiday Inn Birmingham North Cannock will operate under a franchise agreement with Nine Hospitality. Rebranded from an existing hotel into a 95-room Holiday Inn, the property will also have large meeting and conference facilities and a sky bar on its top floor. It will be located close to the M6 motorway, with transport links to Birmingham city centre and Birmingham International Airport.
Vivek Chadha, owner of Nine Hospitality, said: “We’re delighted to be developing our second IHG hotel which will open shortly after our first - Holiday Inn London Watford Junction. Holiday Inn has a leading reputation in the hotel industry and I’m confident our hotel will be a shining example of the brand.”
IHG put 21 Holiday Inns up for sale at the end of May, explaining that the hotels could be sold with or without contractual ties to Holiday Inn, and that the firm would continue to manage them until a deal was signed.
The Holiday Inn brand currently operates nearly 3,500 hotels globally. There are 278 Holiday Inn hotels in Europe and 36 in the development pipeline.