IHG has signed a franchise multiple development agreement (MDA) with Regional Hotel Chain to develop 15 new hotels in Russia by 2019, which, when open, will double the scale of IHG’s estate there because it stands today, and can introduce the vacation Inn Express brand to the region for the 1st time.
The 15 new Holiday Inn Express hotels will add approximately 2,250 rooms, when signed, to IHG’s current Russia development pipeline of over 1,700 rooms (5 hotels).
The locations for the primary two of those hotels are Chelyabinsk and Voronezh. Holiday Inn Express Voronezh – Kirova is because of open within the second half 2014 and
Holiday Inn Express Chelyabinsk – Central Station, is scheduled to open in summer 2015.
IHG’s chief executive officer, Europe, Angela Brav said: “This is a breakthrough for IHG in Russia. It marks the debut of the vacation Inn Express brand there and, when the hotels open we shall have doubled the dimensions of our system because it stands in Russia today, creating a significant step towards our ambition to be market leaders.”
The Holiday Inn Express brand is designed to be the smart choice for value-conscious business and leisure travellers.
IHG previously announced plans to have 100 hotels across Russia and the rest of the CIS open and inside the pipeline by 2020.
The company said it’ll work with local investors to introduce managed and franchised hotels around the country, where there’s a need for internationally branded hotels. Its expansion shall be driven by growth in regional centres and new fast-growing cities with well-established business communities and tourist attractions.
IHG has 13 hotels (3,894 rooms) open in Russia, with another 5 hotels (1,773 rooms) within the pipeline so that it will open within the next 3 to five years.