IHG Hotels & Resorts has outlined plans to add more than 1,000 rooms across the UK and Ireland, with the signing of nine properties.
Some of the signings have previously been reported, including two existing Hotel Brooklyn properties in Leicester and Manchester which will be reflagged under the voco brand.
Belfast is also set to gain two IHG hotels, with the recent signing of Staybridge Suites Belfast (not scheduled to open until the end of 2027), and the 120-room voco Belfast, which is set to be unveiled this summer following the rebranding of the former Radisson Blu Hotel Belfast.
Other forthcoming properties include:
- The 57-room voco Salisbury (pictured at top of story) – currently trading as the Milford Hall Hotel & Spa and set to rebrand in the second half of 2024
- The 131-room Hotel Indigo Gloucester (rendering above) – housed within The Forum development and set to open later this year with features including a rooftop cocktail bar
- The 78-room voco The Clifton Folkestone – previously a Best Western property and set to rebrand following refurbishment in the second half of this year
- The 87-room Holiday Inn Wrexham – set to open in early 2025
- The 104-room Holiday Inn Express Reading Oxford Road – set to open in the second half of 2025
IHG currently operates 353 hotels across the UK and Ireland, with a further 20 under development. Later this year the group will open the first UK property under its Vignette Collection brand, located in Liverpool’s Ropewalks district.
Commenting on the news Willemijn Geels, VP Development, Europe, IHG Hotels & Resorts, said:
“Adding over 1,000 rooms through nine new signings is a great reflection of our investment in the UK&I market, and of the confidence of our owners in IHG, who continue to trust us to develop and open successful hotels with them.
“Across all four of our brand segments, this growth is also fuelled by continued appetite from domestic and international travellers, and their love for IHG’s family of brands and the experiences we offer.
“I’m incredibly proud of our team who are committed to growing IHG’s presence in what is our home market, and the biggest across Europe, Middle East, Asia & Africa (EMEAA).”
IHG is also set to open its first “first lifecycle net zero carbon hotel” in the UK, with an agreement with Zeal Hotels for the voco Zeal Exeter Science Park.
The property had originally been scheduled to open this year, but this has now slipped to 2025.
