InterContinental
Hotels Group announces plans to open InterContinental Abu Dhabi –
Grand Marina and Holiday Inn Abu Dhabi Downtown
Abu
Dhabi, United Arab Emirates,
02 July
2014:
InterContinental
Hotels Group (IHG)
today announced the signing of two new hotels in Abu Dhabi which will
mark the entry of a second InterContinental and second Holiday Inn
property into the UAE capital.
A
20-year management agreement was signed with the National Corporation
of Tourism and Hotels for InterContinental Abu Dhabi – Grand
Marina. Located in close proximity to InterContinental Abu Dhabi, the
new 184-key hotel will feature rooms and serviced apartments along
with a range of exciting food and beverage and entertainment
facilities. These include a Michelin star signature restaurant with a
rooftop bar; a lounge and bar with a terrace and private dining
rooms; a destination bar as well as a premium spa and pool. Due to
open in 2016, the hotel will also have extensive meeting space
catering for the ever growing Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing and
Exhibitions (MICE) market.
IHG
also signed a management agreement with Pearl Azure Hotel Management
LLC for the 257-key Holiday Inn Downtown Abu Dhabi, which will be a
conversion of the current Sands Hotel in downtown Abu Dhabi.
Featuring a restaurant, bar, pool, fitness centre and dedicated
meeting space, the new hotel will undergo a refurbishment and open as
a Holiday Inn by the end of 2014.
The
National Corporation of Tourism and Hotels and Pearl Azure Hotel
Management LLC already have three IHG properties in their portfolio
across the UAE: InterContinental Abu Dhabi, Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi
and Crowne Plaza Dubai. Along with these new signings comes a renewal
of the management agreement for the existing InterContinental Abu
Dhabi.
Pascal
Gauvin, Chief Operating Officer, India, Middle East & Africa, IHG
commented: “As the capital of the UAE and one of the fastest
growing cities in the Middle East, Abu Dhabi is a key market for IHG
and we see strong potential for all our brands here. Our Owners play
an important role in our growth strategy and we are committed to
building long-term relationships with them. We have had a long and
successful partnership with the National Corporation of Tourism and
Hotels and Pearl Azure Hotel Management LLC for nearly two decades
now. The signing of the new InterContinental and Holiday Inn is a
fantastic step in for both our Owners and IHG and we look forward to
continuing our partnership to develop more industry-leading hotels
for the growing travel market in Abu Dhabi.”
Mohamed
Mounib, Group Chief Executive Officer, National
Corporation of Tourism and Hotels and Pearl Azure Hotel Management
LLC
commented: “We have been working with IHG for about 20 years now
and the three properties we have under their management have seen
steady growth and healthy returns over the years. With the growth in
demand for midscale hotels in the UAE it is also a good time for us
to add the Holiday Inn brand into our portfolio. We are very pleased
to be extending our partnership with IHG to add two new hotels to Abu
Dhabi, which puts us in a good position to cater to the growing
number of business and leisure travellers in the city.”
IHG
currently has 18 hotels open in the UAE across five brands, with
another seven in the pipeline. There are five IHG properties
operating in Abu Dhabi: an InterContinental hotel, two Crowne Plaza
hotels, a Holiday Inn and a Staybridge Suites. This latest
announcement brings the total number of properties in IHG's
development pipeline for Abu Dhabi to three, including a new
Staybridge Suites which will open in the next three to five years.
