IHG Accelerates Growth In Western China With Signing Of 10 New Deals Under 7 Brands

InterContinental Hotels Group
Published: May 10th, 2018

May 10, 2018 // Franchising.com // InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG®), one of the world’s leading hotel companies, has today announced the signing of ten new deals under seven of its brands in Western China. The ten hotels will span several different tiered cities and well-known destinations in Sichuan, Chongqing, Shaanxi, Yunnan, Gansu, Guizhou Province etc. Building on the momentum of its existing and successful multi-brand hotel portfolio in the area, IHG will further strengthen its leadership and tap into the large potential of this fast-growing market.

Boasting distinctive natural beauty and rich cultural heritage, the western area of China has been a worldwide attraction. Enjoying great opportunities brought by policies like the Belt and Road Initiative, the cities’ economies continue to boom with the acceleration of urbanisation, as well as the upgrading of transportation and other supporting facilities. According to world leading hotel and tourism consultancy, Horwath HTL, market expectations for the overall performance of the hotel sector in Western China have risen significantly in recent years.

Jolyon Bulley, CEO, IHG Greater China, commented: “IHG is a pioneer in exploring the hotel market in Western China. We have established extensive and rewarding cooperation with local partners over the last three decades, bringing world-class hotel products and management expertise into different cities and resort destinations. Today’s signings are not only a great showcase for IHG’s diversified brand portfolio and close partnership with hotel owners, but also a strong demonstration of our confidence and commitment to both the west and the entire Chinese market..”

Catering for different needs and occasions, the 10 hotels sit under brands spanning luxury, upscale and midscale segments. These include well-established brands that have enjoyed a leading position in the Chinese market for many years, as well as recently introduced ones that perfectly reflect the latest market trends. Meanwhile, in addition to management contracts, IHG’s mainstream business model in China, the signings also feature a Holiday Inn Express deal under IHG’s ‘Franchise Plus’ model tailored for the Chinese market.

• InterContinental Chengdu Shawan is located in northern Chengdu, Sichuan Province. The hotel is adjacent to a number of shopping malls within walking distance to the district government. With midscale and upper-midscale hotels currently dominating the area, it is expected to fill the gap of luxury products. As the world's first truly international luxury hotel brand, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts brings elegance, taste, and unique insights into local customs. InterContinental Chengdu North will be the third InterContinental hotel in the city.
• HUALUXE Guiyang Financial City is located in the northern Guiyang Financial City, an emerging gathering place for innovative financial business in southwestern China, providing a unique choice for MICE market. HUALUXE Hotels & Resorts is the first-ever upscale international hotel brand designed specifically for Chinese consumers. Taking the best of renowned Chinese hospitality, it focuses on the unique Chinese aspects of etiquette, rejuvenation in nature, status recognition, and spaces enabling social interactions. Food & beverage offering is another highlight of the brand, bringing together high quality international dining and local specialties.
• Crowne Plaza Mianyang High-Tech Zone is situated on the main road of Mianyang City in Sichuan Province, known as the “Silicon Valley in Western China”. As one of the fastest growing upscale hotel brands in China, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts offers premium accommodation, designed for the discerning travellers who appreciate simplified elegance combined with the practicality of the latest features. Surrounded by international and local high-tech enterprises, the hotel is expected to be a popular choice for business travellers.
• Hotel Indigo Puzhehei is the first international branded hotel in the Puzhehei Scenic Area in Yunnan Province. A high-end boutique hotel brand born in 2004, Hotel Indigo draws inspiration from the natural and cultural surroundings of their neighbourhoods. Each hotel is unique in design. Situated in a breath-taking karst landscape, Hotel Indigo Puzhehei will be a great option for travellers who look for high quality and design aesthetics.
• Hotel Indigo Jiuzhai sits close to the entrance of Zhongzha Valley, west of the famous Jiuzhaigou Natural Reserve in Sichuan Province. Developed to inspire discovery and exploration into the local culture, the Zhongzha Valley features a unique combination of resort, authentic Tibetan experiences and outdoor adventures. A boutique hotel with a relatively smaller scale but stunning design just like Hotel Indigo Jiuzhai will easily stand out in the area.
• EVEN Hotel Chongqing Central Park is located in Yubei District of Chongqing next to the Central Park. The hotel has a convenient access to Chongqing International Expo Centre, some most iconic city landmarks as well as Chongqing International Airport. EVEN Hotels is the industry’s first and only hotel brand created with wellness at its core. Since debuting in the US in 2012, the brand has resonated strongly with guests and owners. It was introduced to the Chinese market in October 2017, echoing the increasing demand for healthy travel experience from domestic consumers.
• EVEN Hotel Xi’an High-Tech Zone takes a prime location in the High-Tech Development Zone in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, surrounded by Fortune 500 companies such as IBM, Intel, Microsoft, and Huawei. Located on the 32nd to 38th floors of a 200-metre tall building, the hotel offers a refreshing view overlooking this vibrant area.
• Holiday Inn & Suites Lanzhou Centre is situated in Lanzhou Centre, a landmark building of Lanzhou, Gansu Province. With the city’s best office buildings and shopping venues around, it is part of the largest urban complex in Lanzhou. The hotel enjoys a strategic location with Lanzhou West Railway Station and Lanzhou Metro Line 1 (to be completed in December 2018) both within walking distance. One of the most widely recognised hotel brands in the world, Holiday Inn offers a consistent and reliable welcoming experience for both business and leisure travellers. Holiday Inn & Suites Lanzhou Centre will also be the first extended-stay hotel in the city.
• Holiday Inn Express Guilin High-Tech Zone is located in the heart of the High-Tech Zone of Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. With nearly 1,000 international companies in the city, Guilin has a fast-growing import and export business. Moreover, construction of a high-speed railway network is expected to drive a substantial increase in leisure tourists. As the world’s first midscale selected service hotel brand, Holiday Inn Express is strategically positioned in a white space between four-star full-service hotels and budget hotels. By providing guests with more where it matters most to them, the hotel will be a stellar representative of the brand in delivering simple, smart travel experience to those who look for “rest-and-go”.
• Holiday Inn Express Meishan Dongpo enjoys a great location in the centre of Meishan, Sichuan Province, with easy access to the city’s CBD, shopping venues and transportation hubs. Sitting on the higher floors of the landmark Chunxi Square, the hotel offers excellent views to the city. This project is signed under the Franchise Plus model that IHG tailored for its Holiday Inn Express brand in China. While providing owners with more flexibility, IHG assigns General Manager to the hotel to better implement brand standards and improve hotel revenue, driving best return for owners.

IHG currently operates more than 330 hotels, over 100,000 rooms under a total of 9 brands in Greater China. As IHG’s second largest market globally, China has always been a priority for the company. In IHG's 2018 first quarter trading update, Greater China achieved another exceptional quarter with market leading RevPAR increase of 11%.

About IHG® (InterContinental Hotels Group)

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 5,400 hotels and 800,000 guest rooms in almost 100 countries, with more than 1,700 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 375,000 people work across IHG's hotels and corporate offices globally.

Visit www.ihg.com for hotel information and reservations and www.ihgrewardsclub.com for more on IHG Rewards Club. For our latest news, visit: www.ihgplc.com/media and follow us on social media at: www.twitter.com/ihg, www.facebook.com/ihg and www.youtube.com/ihgplc.

Contacts:

Alexander Zhu
alexander.zhu@ihg.com
+86 21 2893 3477

Karena Liu
karena.liu@ihg.com
+86 (21) 2893 3265

SOURCE IHG® (InterContinental Hotels Group)