InterContinental Hotels adds two more hotels to New Zealand portfolio

InterContinental Hotels Group will gain its sixth and seventh New Zealand hotels later this year after signing up a local hotelier family as a partner.

The global chain will add its first Holiday Inn hotel in Queenstown later this year following the conversion of the former Goldridge Resort; and a new build 120-room Holiday Inn Express hotel in Christchurch city centre, to open in 2018.

The new hotels will operate under franchise agreements in partnership with USAR Queenstown and USAR Christchurch, backed by the New Zealand hotelier Sarin family.

The rebrand of the Goldridge Resort to Holiday Inn Queenstown will officially take place in December following a $3.5 million refurbishment of rooms and public areas.  A 50-room extension to the property is also planned to add to the hotel’s 75 rooms.  The property overlooks the Frankton Arm inlet of Lake Wakatipu, with easy access to The Remarkables and Coronet Peak ski fields. The hotel will join IHG’s Crowne Plaza Queenstown.

The new Holiday Inn Express Christchurch hotel, set to open late 2018, will be in the Christchurch CBD – 100 metres from the new convention centre due to open in 2019.  

IHG also has a Crowne Plaza hotel under construction in Christchurch and due to open mid-2017.

IHG Australasia and Japan chief operating officer Karin Sheppard said there was high demand for hotels in key destinations across New Zealand – including both Queenstown and Christchurch – as the result of the thriving tourism economy.   

Sarin Investments head Raman Sarin said that with international tourism numbers on the rise it was important to partner with an established global brand.  “Both Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express have a huge presence in all of our key source markets and we are confident of the success of these two new hotels in Queenstown and Christchurch.”

IHG has five hotels operating under three brands in New Zealand: InterContinental, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn, with Holiday Inn Express Christchurch city centre marking the launch of the fourth brand in the country.  

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