InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) is to open eight new hotels across six Middle East countries during 2012. IHG CEO for India, Middle East and Africa John Bamsey said that the new launches will take place in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon and Bahrain.
The group will expand its presence in Qatar with InterContinental Doha The City and Crowne Plaza Doha The Business Park, according to Hotelier Middle East. It will also open two new hotels in Saudi Arabia: the first Crowne Plaza in Medinah and the Holiday Inn Riyadh Meydan in Riyadh. In Jordan, the company will unveil the Crowne Plaza Dead Sea Resort.
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"We’ll also be introducing the InterContinental brand to Kuwait, the Staybridge Suites brand to Lebanon and the Holiday Inn Express brand to Bahrain and India," said Bamsey.
The impact of instability in some markets in the short term prompted IHG to focus on Saudi Arabia and the emerging markets of India and Africa.
Overall, the group has nearly 100 hotels in its development pipeline across India, Middle East and Africa, which will open within the next three to five years.
