Ihg’s holiday inn continues in its conquest of latin america
Cartagena is home to the latest property project for InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG)...
IHG, whose roots in the Colombian hotel market stretch almost six decades, has announced that it has signed a 15-year management agreement for a new-build, full-service Holiday Inn in Cartagena, Colombia.
The Holiday Inn Cartagena, scheduled to open in June 2011, will be IHG's seventh property in Colombia, and the 46th Holiday Inn brand property within the company's Latin America & Caribbean region (38open, 8 under construction). IHG currently has two Holiday Inn hotels in Colombia: the Holiday Inn Express Bogota and the Holiday Inn Express Medellin.
The hotel is owned by Sundacer S.A.S., a division of Cartagena-based Conceptos Urbanos S.A., a respected real estate development firm in Colombia. It will be IHG's second project in Cartagena, the other one being the 280-room InterContinental Cartagena, currently under construction.
To the north, the hotel will overlook the beautiful Caribbean Sea. Directly South lays the famous water canyon, Cienaga de la Virgen, boasting spectacular views to protected indigenous mangroves. To the west, the hotel will overlook the Old City of Cartagena, named an UNESCO World Heritage Site for its historical value.
The property will showcase the brand's new sign, which is the seal of approval that this hotel exemplifies the standards of the $1 billion Holiday Inn brand relaunch program. The Holiday Inn brand relaunch is the largest in the history of the hospitality industry, with more than 3,400 hotels around the world being updated - improving quality and driving consistency at Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express hotels around the world. The global estate is expected to be relaunched by the end of 2010, and more than 2,600 hotels have been already been relaunched to date.
The Holiday Inn Cartagena will feature 4,000 square feet (372 square meters) of meeting facilities, which includes five conference rooms and two boardrooms, along with amenities such as a state-of-the-art fitness center, an infinity swimming pool, restaurant, lobby bar and coffee shop.
"We are delighted to begin a long-lasting relationship with Sundacer S.A.S. and bring the first Holiday Inn hotel to the wonderful city of Cartagena," said Alvaro Diago, Chief Operating Officer, IHG Latin America and the Caribbean. "Cartagena is certainly a high-potential market as its business and tourism sectors continue to flourish. A property like the Holiday Inn Cartagena is important in helping us expand our consumer base in the city and across the country."
Source: Market Watch