InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has reached a major milestone globally, with the opening of the company’s 1000th hotel in the Europe, Middle East, Asia and Africa (EMEAA) region.
The milestone was reached with the opening of InterContinental Phu Quoc Long Beach Resort in Vietnam and the milestone comes as IHG continues its ambitious growth strategy across its newest and most geographically diverse region.
The 1000th opening adds to an already strong portfolio in EMEAA, with hotels across eight brands, working in partnership with more than 500 hotel owners. IHG has an extensive development pipeline in EMEAA with 321 hotels (63,500-plus rooms) set to open in the next 3-5 years.
IHG’s EMEAA region is playing a key role in the company’s ambitions to grow at pace in key global markets. The rollout of voco, IHG’s newest brand in the $40 billion upscale market, will begin in EMEAA, with a first signing already announced in Australia. IHG plans to open more than 200 voco hotels globally over the next 10 years.
EMEAA is also a key focus as IHG builds out its luxury capabilities. IHG recently unveiled plans to expand its luxury and upscale estate in the UK through a conditional agreement with Covivio (formerly Foncière des Régions). The deal to rebrand and operate 12 high quality open hotels, and one pipeline hotel, will make IHG the largest luxury operator across the UK.
This follows IHG’s acquisition of Regent Hotels and Resorts, with plans to grow the portfolio of six hotels to over 40 in the next decade.
“Reaching 1,000 open hotels in the region with the addition of InterContinental Phu Quoc Long Beach Resort is a significant achievement for IHG,” said IHG Chief Executive Officer for Europe, Middle East, Asia and Africa, Kenneth Macpherson.
“Our Europe, Middle East, Asia and Africa (EMEAA) region encompasses 73 countries, 26 time zones and some of the world’s most visited cities,” he said. “This milestone is testament to the appeal of our brands, the strength of our owner relationships and our well-established strategy to leverage scale and accelerate growth in some of the world’s fastest growing markets.”
InterContinental Phu Quoc Long Beach Resort is located on the pristine Phu Quoc island, a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve off the coast of Vietnam. The resort combines InterContinental’s signature luxury with the island’s unique natural beauty and features 459 luxurious rooms, suites and villas, an exclusive beachfront, six restaurants and bars, and state-of-the-art meeting facilities.