Intercontinental Hotels Group has announced two new hotel openings in Abu Dhabi.
Intercontinental Abu Dhabi — Grand Marina will feature 184 guestrooms and serviced apartments and is due to open in 2016.
Located close-by Intercontinental Abu Dhabi, the new hotel will include "extensive" meeting space, a Michelin star signature restaurant with a rooftop bar, a lounge and bar with a terrace and private dining rooms, a "destination" bar, a spa and a swimming pool.
Opening in 2016: Intercontinental Abu Dhabi Grand Marina
IHG also signed a management agreement for the 257-key Holiday Inn Downtown Abu Dhabi, which will be a conversion of the current Sands Hotel.
After undergoing a refurbishment , the property will open as a Holiday Inn by the end of this year.
It will feature a restaurant, bar, swimming pool, fitness centre and meeting space,
Pascal Gauvin, IHG's COO, India, Middle East & Africa, said: "The signing of the new Intercontinental and Holiday Inn is a fantastic step in for both our owners and IHG and we look forward to continuing our partnership to develop more industry-leading hotels for the growing travel market in Abu Dhabi."
IHG currently has 18 hotels open in the UAE across five brands, with another seven in the pipeline.
There are five IHG properties operating in Abu Dhabi — an Intercontinental hotel, two Crowne Plaza hotels, a Holiday Inn and a Staybridge Suites.
This latest announcement brings the total number of properties in IHG's development pipeline for Abu Dhabi to three, including a new Staybridge Suites which will open in the next three to five years.
Last week, IHG opened its first Even Hotels property (see news, June 25).
Graham Smith