IHG Signs Agreements for Growth in Europe

MUNICH—InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) signed three master development agreements (MDA) at the trade show Expo Real here, which will bring more than 50 hotels to the continent.

The developments include bringing IHG’s new brands Avid Hotels to Germany and Voco Hotels across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands. Under the structure of the MDAs, the specific hotel brands and locations will be signed over the next 10 years. IHG also signed a Holiday Inn for Barcelona, Spain, and two Holiday Inn Express hotels for Munich-Eching and Antwerp, Belgium. All projects were signed with long-term partners Tristar, Success Hotel Group, Prem Hospitality and Novum Hospitality.

“MDAs are designed as a means to grow together with our owners,” said Mario Maxeiner, managing director, Northern Europe, IHG. “So these agreements are a testament to the trusted relationships we have with our owners and to the continued success story of our globally renowned brands such as Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza. I am especially happy that our owners and investors share our enthusiasm for our two newest brands in the market, Voco Hotels and Avid Hotels in Germany. Both brands were developed with very distinct owner and guest propositions to answer a specific need in the market, and it’s really great to see them pick up pace.”

IHG’s latest MDAs will continue to build momentum for IHG’s mainstream and upscale brands in Northern Europe, particularly in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, according to the company. Two of the three MDAs signed at Expo Real were signed with long-term partners Success Hotel Group and Tristar. Combined, they will deliver up to 40 hotels to these German-speaking markets over the next five to 10 years. Both agreements include hotels across the brands Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Hotel Indigo, Crowne Plaza and Staybridge Suites, as well as IHG’s new brands Avid Hotels and Voco.

• The Success Hotel Group MDA will deliver 20 hotels.
• The Tristar agreement extends an existing MDA by 20 hotels (to 50 hotels in total). Tristar and IHG also signed the first hotel under the new agreement extension: the Holiday Inn Express Munich – Eching.

IHG will also further increase its footprint in Belgium and the Netherlands, having signed a new MDA agreement with long-standing partner Prem Hospitality. The Irish hospitality management company sees Belgium and the Netherlands as a strategic hub for its expansion of short-stay and long-stay locations across continental Europe and builds on the relationship with IHG to further drive growth in those markets. The partnership will see the development of 10-15 hotels in the region, focusing on the brands Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Hotel Indigo, Crowne Plaza and Voco. IHG and Prem also already signed the first hotel under the new agreement, paving the way for the construction of a new Holiday Inn Express in the heart of Antwerp in Belgium.

IHG’s third hotel signing at Expo Real will see the development of a Holiday Inn close to Barcelona, Spain, with long-standing MDA partner Novum Hospitality. Building on its well-established relationship with IHG in Germany, Novum Hospitality decided to partner with IHG for its expansion into the Spanish market. The new hotel will have more than 200 rooms and is set to open by the end of 2023. It will be developed by Europa-Center.