IHG and Makkah Real Estate Company sign agreement for 1,238 room Holiday Inn
Makkah, Saudi Arabia, 26 August 2013: InterContinental Hotels Group IHG and Makkah Real Estate Company have signed an agreement to build the world's largest Holiday Inn, the 1,238 room Holiday Inn Makkah, due to open in Saudi Arabia, in 2016.
This landmark agreement responds to the boom in religious tourism to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Over 3 million pilgrims participated in Hajj in 2012, up eight percent on the previous year, and more than half of all inbound tourists to Saudi Arabia travel to the religious cities of Makkah and Medinah throughout the year. The total number of tourists travelling to Saudi Arabia is expected to continue its growth trajectory to reach 15.8 million by 2014, up from c.13 million in 2010.
This will be the first Holiday Inn on the Pilgrimage route and will be located in Al Aziziyah area near the city's business centre. Its 1,238 rooms will be built in two towers and house three food and beverage outlets including an all day dining restaurant and two coffee shops. Facilities include a ballroom, health club and pool.
Hani Hamad Al Ghammas, Chief Executive Officer, Makkah Real Estate Company commented: "We are pleased to be announcing this new agreement with IHG. The Holiday Inn brand is all about great value and providing both comfort and quality. We are confident that this formula, which has been hugely successful elsewhere in Saudi Arabia, will be the ideal offering for religious travellers bound for Makkah each year."
Located on the intersection of Masjid Ash Shaikh Baz and Al Masjid Al Haram Road, the new Holiday Inn will be 3.5km from the Haram, 3.5 kilometres from Mina, 1km from Jamarat, 6.4km from Mouzdalifah and 14.5km from Mount Arafat.
Pascal Gauvin, Chief Operating Officer, India, Middle East and Africa, IHG said: "Millions of people travel from all over the world to make the pilgrimage to Makkah. Our Holiday Inn brand is one of the world's most well-known brands so visitors from all corners of the global can book with us knowing they will get a consistent experience and level of comfort. On arrival guests can focus on their pilgrimage - a once in a lifetime experience."
Currently the world's largest Holiday Inn is the 1,224 room Holiday Inn Macao Cotai Central situated in Macao, Greater China.
IHG in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - facts and figures:
- IHG opened Saudi Arabia's first international hotel in 1975
- IHG is the largest international hotel company in Saudi Arabia, with 24 hotels and 5,880 rooms
- IHG is due to grow in Saudi Arabia by 50% over the next 3-5 years, with seven new hotels taking its total inventory from 5,880 to 7,765 rooms
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About the Holiday Inn® brand:
With over 1,200 hotels worldwide, the Holiday Inn® brand is the most widely recognized lodging brand in the world. In fact, the Holiday Inn brand was one of the first international hotel brands to establish a presence in China in 1984. The Holiday Inn brand provides the services that business travelers need, while also offering a comfortable atmosphere where all people can relax and enjoy amenities such as restaurants and room service, swimming pools, fitness centers and comfortable lounges. The casual atmosphere and amenities such as meeting and on-site business facilities, Kids Eat and Stay Free programs, and KidSuites rooms at every Holiday Inn Resort hotel demonstrates the long-standing commitment of the Holiday Inn brand to serving travelers and have helped to establish the brand as "America's Favorite Hotel." And now, the Holiday Inn brand has been ranked "Highest in Guest Satisfaction Among Mid-scale Full Service Hotel Chains", according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 and 2012 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index StudySM. For more information about Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Resort, including IHG's vacation resort brand Holiday Inn Club Vacations, or to book reservations, visit www.holidayinn.com. Find us on Twitter www.twitter.com/holidayinn or Facebook www.Facebook.com/holidayinnhotels.
About InterContinental Hotels Group:
IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global organisation with a broad portfolio of nine hotel brands, including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo® Hotels, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express® Hotels, Staybridge Suites® Hotels, Candlewood Suites® Hotels, EVEN™ Hotels and HUALUXE™ Hotels & Resorts. IHG manages IHG® Rewards Club, the world's first and largest hotel loyalty programme with over 74 million members worldwide. The programme was relaunched in July 2013, offering enhanced benefits for members including free internet across all hotels, globally. IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns over 4,600 hotels and 678,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories. With more than 1,000 hotels in its development pipeline, IHG expects to recruit around 90,000 people into additional roles across its estate over the next few years. InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Group's holding company and is incorporated in Great Britain and registered in England and Wales. Visit www.ihg.com for hotel information and reservations and www.ihgrewardsclub.com for more on IHG Rewards Club. For our latest news, visit: www.ihg.com/media, www.twitter.com/ihg,www.facebook.com/ihgor www.youtube.com/ihgplc.
This year, IHG turns 10. Visit http://story.ihg.com/ for a visual showcase of the milestones, achievements and innovations for IHG and its portfolio of hotel brands in the past decade.
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Elisabeth Middlemas
Four Communications
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© Press Release 2013