IHG plans to develop additional 50% of hotel, resort projects in Vietnam

Serena Lim, vice president for hotel development of IHG in Southeast Asia and the Republic of Korea, revealed that in order to fulfill the goal, the firm will continue to build hotels that are part of its existing luxury segment, with further plans to expand operations in the mid-segment market.

At present, the group’s Six Senses and InterContinental brands represent the top-high end brands, both domestically and internationally.

IHG has approximately 6,000 hotels worldwide with 16 brands, including 13 in Vietnam. The group is expected to introduce three additional brands, including Regent, voco™ Hotels, and Hotel Indigo, to Vietnamese customers over the course of the next two years.

Furthermore, IHG is also going to proceed with plans to expand the local Holiday Inn brand chain through the Holiday Inn Resort Ho Tram project, whilst it is also preparing for the launch of the Holiday Inn Express brand.

Lim therefore emphasised that the group is keen to expand more hotels to serve domestic tourists, with a primary focus on Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, along with industrial areas such as Vinh, Hai Duong, Hai Phong, Binh Duong, Quy Nhon, Sam Son, and Hoa Binh.

Rajit Sukumaran, managing director of IHG in Southeast Asia and the Republic of Korea, revealed that the group's local expansion plans are part of its global strategy, attributing these plans to the nation’s successful containment efforts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

All of the group’s hotels based locally have already opened and have recorded an increase in terms of the number of rooms booked for vacation purposes, which serve as positive signs of recovery for the hospitality industry, he added.