IHG launches Holiday Inn Cochin

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), the world's largest hotel group by number of rooms, today officially launched Holiday Inn Cochin here.

This is the third new look Holiday Inn property in India, following the successful competition of the USD 1 billion Holiday Inn global re-launch, IHG Regional General Manager Shaun Langdon told reporters here.

The other two are in Pune and Mumbai.     

The hotel spread across 250,000 square feet area has 212 rooms and is located in close proximity to the National High bypass, making it easily accessible to both business and leisure travelers. Initially, the hotel will open 94 rooms for its guests, he added.

The Holiday Inn brand represents a great opportunity for the company in the mid market segment and will address the increasing demand for right opportunities to expand the band's presence in India's key business sand leisure hubs, he added.

IHG has aggressive expansion plans for its Holiday Inn brand in India with 32 new looks Holiday Inn hotels which account for over 70% of its current India development pipeline, Langdon said.

In India, IHG currently has 15 hotels and is looking to increase the number to 150 hotels by 2020. 46 hotels have been signed and many are under construction, he said.

In India, IHG is opening 4 key brands- Inter Continental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express. The company has planed to come with another hotel under 'Crowne Plaza' in Kochi. Holiday Inn Cochin General Manager Garth Solly said the new hotel was destined for business and family oriented leisure travellers in need of a full service lodging experience.

Kerala is an extremely strong tourist destination for overseas visitors from Middle East and US, he said, adding that during the off season Infopark, Smart City projects, Cochin Port would offer great opportunities.

Indroyal Group, mainly into manufacturing of furnitures, in partnership with IHG launched the Rs 350 crore value hotel.

Its Chairman J Suguthan said this was their first diversification project the Hotel industry in India. The group has service apartments in Middle East and factories in China with worldwide turnover of USD 200 million.