IHG Debuts in Varanasi with Signing of Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza Hotels

InterContinental Hotels Group
Published: December 12th, 2017

December 12, 2017 // Franchising.com // InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), one of the world’s leading hotel companies has signed a franchise agreement with the JHV group for two new properties in the heritage city of Varanasi. A 300-room Crowne Plaza will be owned by M/s Mall Hotel Ltd, a subsidiary of JHV and will accommodate guests filtering in through the business traffic at Mall Road. The 180-room Holiday Inn will be owned by M/s HLA Hotels Ltd, a subsidiary of JHV and is located well to serve the Buddhist Circuit and will offer excellent connectivity to the airport. Serving a wide range of leisure and business travellers between them, both hotels are expected to be operational by 2021.

Crowne Plaza Varanasi will be situated closer to the commercial hub of Varanasi, catering to business & leisure segments, as well as premium, local social events, such as weddings and seasonal occasions. Furthermore, the hotel will house impressive meeting and banquet facilities, which will add a unique offering for business visitors to the holy city.

Holiday Inn Varanasi, will serve the Buddhist circuit due to its proximity to Sarnath and the airport, once the new bypass road is completed. With 180 rooms, the key demand generators for Holiday Inn will be religious tourism and associated events, along with other social events emanating from the city.

• Commenting on the announcement, Sudeep Jain, Vice President, Development, South West Asia, IHG said: “We are thrilled to open our first Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza hotels in Varanasi, in partnership with a recognised conglomerate like JHV Group. It is great to be bringing our established brands to new markets, with both new and existing partners, as we continue to drive scale and brand preference in India. With these signings in Varanasi, we continue to be on track to having 150 hotels open or in our pipeline within in the next 10-15 years.
• ”Speaking about the partnership, Mr. Jawahar Lal Jaiswal, Chairman, M/s Mall Hotel Ltd, owners of the upcoming Crowne Plaza, Varanasi: “We are delighted to be partnering with a global partner like IHG for our upcoming project in the heritage city of Varanasi. With IHG’s strong distribution systems, preferred brands and best in class loyalty program, we are confident of our success with both hotels.”
• Mr Hira Lal Jaiswal, Chairman, M/s HLA Hotels Ltd, owners of the upcoming Holiday Inn, Varanasi, said: “With increased connectivity, an increasing number of foreign and domestic tourists are choosing to visit Varanasi, therefore, there is a need for more branded accommodation in the city. Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza, with their complementary offerings are a great fit to cater to the increasing number of corporate and leisure visitors. We are excited to be adding these iconic names to our hospitality portfolio.”

As per Uttar Pradesh’s government data, over 5.5 million domestic and 300,000 foreign tourists visited the city in 2016, most commonly for religious purposes. With double digit growth of air traffic in the city and increasing connectivity, both hotels are well placed to attract all traveller segments.

About IHG®

IHG® (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global organisation with a broad portfolio of hotel brands, including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Kimpton® Hotels & Restaurants, Hotel Indigo®, EVEN® Hotels, HUALUXE® Hotels and Resorts, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn®, Holiday Inn Express®, Holiday Inn Club Vacations®, Holiday Inn Resort®, avid™ hotels, Staybridge Suites® and Candlewood Suites®.

IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns nearly 5,300 hotels and more than 785,000 guest rooms in almost 100 countries, with more than 1,500 hotels in its development pipeline. IHG also manages IHG® Rewards Club, our global loyalty programme, which has more than 100 million enrolled members.

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Group’s holding company and is incorporated in Great Britain and registered in England and Wales. More than 350,000 people work across IHG’s hotels and corporate offices globally.

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Contact:

Ankita Chopra
ankita.chopra@ihg.com
+971 4 213 6043

Parisa Chum
parisa.chum@ihg.com
+971 4213 6067

SOURCE IHG®