IHG Hotels & Resorts and Iwate Hotel & Resort have announced an agreement to open or refurbish three hotels in Japan’s Appi Kogen resort region and badge them under world-class IHG brands from December 2021.
The deal involves IHG operating under the IHGANA brand, which is a joint venture with national airline, All Nippon Airways (ANA) and will see the ANA InterContinental, ANA Crowne Plaza and ANA Holiday Inn brands open in the popular Japanese destination. The deal is the biggest IHG Hotels & Resorts has signed in Japan since it formed its joint venture with ANA in 2006. It is also the first time IHG will have three brands located on the one site.
With hot springs, skiing and snowboarding in the winter, golf in the summer, and mountain biking and walking in the spring and autumn, nature-rich Appi Kogen is a place where travellers can be active all year round, and is therefore extremely popular with Japanese and international holidaymakers.
IHG Hotels & Resorts VP Development – Japan, Australasia & Pacific, Abhijay Sandilya, said he was delighted to make this announcement in partnership with Iwate Hotel & Resort Co.
“These world-class hotels in Japan’s premier four-season resort destination, Appi Kogen, will offer something for every type of traveller, including rich guest experiences and IHG’s True Hospitality for Good.
“I am confident that we will see strong domestic demand and, as borders reopen, from international travellers who are looking to get a real Japanese experience with the familiarity of IHG’s global brands”.
The arrival of three brands in the luxury, upscale and midscale segments will offer something for every type of traveller. Once open in December 2021, the hotel portfolio will have 18 restaurants & bars, more than 3,000 square metres of meeting and conference space, several retail outlets and 10 health and recreation venues, including a 2,000 square metre onsen facility.