IHG Signs With Arif Group for New voco in Jeddah

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United Kingdom, Denham. December 16, 2020

IHG® Hotels & Resorts, one of the world's leading hotel groups, has signed a management agreement with Saudi based Arif Group to bring a new voco™ hotel in the city of Jeddah. A new built property, voco® Jeddah North will feature 145 rooms and will open to guests in Q1 2022.

With a bold, distinctive identity, a range of best in class facilities and warm hospitality, guests staying at voco® Jeddah North will be treated to a unique upscale experience, combined with a great location. Beyond guest rooms, the hotel will include an outdoor pool, a gymnasium and a spa with four treatment rooms. Offering a range of dining options, the hotel will also feature an all-day dining restaurant, a coffee lounge and a rooftop lounge.

Being one of the closest hotels to the new Jeddah airport, offering 1,710sqm of meeting and banqueting space (including two ballrooms of 500 square metres and 400 square metres), the hotel will be positioned as a perfect destination for upscale corporate guests and will be well suited for their MICE requirements. Enjoying a prime location, voco Jeddah North will be in close proximity to Jeddah Seasons square, Obhur Corniche and the Alexandria beach, and only 3 km from Kingdom City, the new anticipated centre of Jeddah. The hotel will be in proximity to the Obhur Bay, near the east coast of the Red Sea and will provide guests with easy access to some of the best beaches in the northern corniche of the city.

Commenting on the signing, Pascal Gauvin, Managing Director, India, Middle East & Africa, IHG, said: "We are excited to partner with and welcome Arif Group to the IHG family with the signing of voco® Jeddah North. With redevelopment of waterfront projects, airport infrastructure and high-speed train connectivity, Jeddah is emerging as an important destination within Saudi Arabia - it is also a crucial link between the Holy cities of Madinah and Makkah.

We are also pleased to add another voco™ hotel to our growing upscale portfolio in the Kingdom and cater to a wide range of guests expected to visit the country in the coming years. With the Kingdom's Vision 2030 progressing, KSA is a priority market for us in the region and we remain committed to our growth ambition in the country."

Mr. Arif Fahad A Altwairqi, Arif Group, added: "IHG is a leading hospitality company with a global footprint and a strong foothold in KSA - we couldn't have chosen a better partner for our first hospitality project in the country. With development of tourism infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, upscale hospitality is a growing category in the Kingdom.Taking into account the uniqueness of IHG's upscale brand, voco, combined with an excellent location and the demand for quality accommodation in the city, I am confident voco® Jeddah North will be a great success on opening in 2022."

Launched globally in 2018, voco™ has gained tremendous momentum in the Middle East with signings and openings across multiple markets, including Saudi Arabia. The brand allows guests to enjoy an upscale experience with a bold, distinctive identity and informal service style, with freshness of an independent hotel under a name they can trust. This brand also offers owners the ability to drive higher returns by delivering a compelling guest experience and leveraging IHG's powerful systems.

IHG currently operates 95 hotels across 7 brands in the Middle East, including: InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites, voco and Six Senses with a further 42 in the development pipeline due to open within the next three to five years.

**Numbers as of September 30th, 2020