IHG to rebrand Kensington Close Hotel as Holiday Inn

The hotel on High Street Kensington and one of the largest hotels in the capital, will operate under a franchise agreement between IHG and Kensington Close Hotel Ltd. 

It will undergo a re-brand before re-opening as a Holiday Inn in December. 

Azad Cola, director, Kensington Close Hotel Limited, said the business, which includes 12 meeting rooms and a health club and spa, had been considering operating under a brand for some time. 

“As experienced operators in this space, we took time to decide where and with whom we wanted to enter into our first franchise agreement with," he said. "We are very excited to be entering into this partnership with IHG, especially given this hotel will be a landmark property within the Holiday Inn brand family. IHG and the Holiday Inn brand was a natural choice for us when deciding how to evolve our hotel.”

The Holiday Inn Kensington will feature the brand's signature Open Lobby and a host of other Holiday Inn services, such as free Wi-Fi when it re-opens. It will also become a flagship for the brand in Europe. 

Philip Lassman, director, development, UK & Ireland, IHG, said: “IHG is delighted to be partnering with Kensington Close Hotel Limited, owners of this landmark hotel. I am delighted that they have chosen IHG as their first franchise partner. Holiday Inn is one of the most iconic hotel brands in the world and the Open Lobby is going to create the perfect space for Kensington visitors and residents to come together. We are incredibly excited to be opening one of our largest Holiday Inn hotels within Europe with Kensington Close Hotel Limited.”