IHG Partners with SAMHI to Expand Holiday Inn Express Portfolio in India
BANGALORE, IN. November 29, 2017 - IHG® (InterContinental Hotels Group), one of the world's leading hotel companies, has partnered with SAMHI to rebrand approximately 2000 rooms (operating and under construction) within its India hotel portfolio, to Holiday Inn Express® hotels.
The recently signed portfolio comprises 14 hotels, including ten open hotels across key cities such as Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Mumbai. The additional four hotels are under construction. The signing sees IHG grow its pipeline by 41 hotels, positioning IHG as one of the largest players in India's growing midscale hotel market.
All hotels in the portfolio will be closed while they are being refurbished and upgraded with the latest design directives, to ensure the portfolio is fully representative of the Holiday Inn Express brand globally. The hotels will feature the next-generation design, several additional public areas and feature brand hallmarks to enhance guest service delivery.
Commenting on the announcement, Sudeep Jain, Vice President, Development, South West Asia, IHG said: “It is with great pride and excitement that we are announcing our partnership with SAMHI for conversion of their existing mid-market hotel portfolio in India to Holiday Inn Express. This is a significant move towards establishing IHG as a leading player in the midscale hotel segment in India, while we continue to build on our upscale and luxury offering in the country with InterContinental Hotels & Resorts and Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts.”
Jain added: “With this signing, we now have close to 60 hotels open and in the pipeline, across the Holiday Inn Brand Family. SAMHI is keen to accelerate Holiday Inn Express' highly efficient operating model and engage the brand's growing familiarity in the country. Holiday Inn Express is the rest and go hotel brand that delivers a smarter travel experience by providing more where it matters most. The brand in combination with IHG's strong distribution systems, preferred brands, top revenue management tools, best in class loyalty program, and constant focus on training and empowering employees, will ensure our joint success.”
Ashish Jakhanwala, MD & CEO, SAMHI said: “We are delighted to be partnering with IHG and bringing their world class Holiday Inn Express brand into our business portfolio. We look forward to working with IHG to develop the brand further and create an excellent offering for our domestic as well as international guests across Tier 1 cities in India, where there has been a noteworthy increase in demand for quality accommodation in mid-segment.”
Jakhanwala added: “We believe that the re-positioning and rebranding of more than 1,900 rooms to Holiday Inn Express will be the largest such exercise in India's hospitality sector to date. This landmark collaboration will help us to further strengthen our hospitality portfolio in the country.”
The partnership has strengthened IHG's presence across India, with the newly signed hotels located across 11 key cities, resulting in 90% of our Holiday Inn Express portfolio being concentrated in Tier 1 cities.
IHG® currently has 30 hotels operating across four brands in India, including InterContinental®, Crowne Plaza®, Holiday Inn® and Holiday Inn Express®, with a further 33 in the development pipeline. The SAMHI signing with see another 14 hotels added to the development pipeline.
About IHG
IHG® (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global organisation with a broad portfolio of hotel brands, including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Kimpton® Hotels & Restaurants, Hotel Indigo®, EVEN® Hotels, HUALUXE® Hotels and Resorts, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn®, Holiday Inn Express®, Holiday Inn Club Vacations®, Holiday Inn Resort®, avid™ hotels, Staybridge Suites® and Candlewood Suites®. IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns nearly 5,300 hotels and more than 785,000 guest rooms in almost 100 countries, with more than 1,500 hotels in its development pipeline. IHG also manages IHG® Rewards Club, our global loyalty programme, which has more than 100 million enrolled members.
InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Group's holding company and is incorporated in Great Britain and registered in England and Wales. More than 350,000 people work across IHG's hotels and corporate offices globally. Visit www.ihg.com for hotel information.
About SAMHI Hotels
SAMHI Hotels Pvt Ltd. is a hotel investment and development company. Founded by Ashish Jakhanwala, SAMHI has world class shareholders that include Sam Zell led Equity International, Goldman Sachs, GTI Capital Group & IFC (member of the World Bank Group). Hotels owned by SAMHI are operated under partnerships with Marriott, Starwood, Hyatt and Accor Hotels and currently it has 24 operating assets in the country growing to 29 hotels by end of 2018. SAMHI is distinguished in the Indian hospitality market for its Pan India spread, quality of hotels, brands, operating relationships, and a rapidly growing portfolio.
For more information, visit www.samhi.co.in
Contact:
Ankita Chopra
[email protected]
+971 4 213 6502
Bhavna Mishra
[email protected]
+91 124 4910 100
Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is a global leading lodging company based in Bethesda,Maryland, USA, with more than 4,200 properties in 80 countries and territories. Marriott International reported revenues of nearly $14 billion in fiscal year 2014. The company operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts under 19 brands, including: The Ritz-Carlton®, BVlgari®, EDITION®, JW Marriott®, Autograph Collection® Hotels, Renaissance® Hotels, Marriott Hotels®, Delta Hotels and Resorts®, Marriott Executive Apartments®, Marriott Vacation Club®, Gaylord Hotels®, AC Hotels by Marriott®, Courtyard®, Residence Inn®, SpringHill Suites®, Fairfield Inn & Suites®, TownePlace Suites®, Protea Hotels® and MoxyHotels®. Marriott has been consistently recognized as a top employer and for its superior business ethics. The company also manages the award-winning guest loyalty program, Marriott Rewards® and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards® program, which together surpass 50 million members. For more information or reservations, please visit our website at 
