IHG to Rebrand and Manage Heritage Hotel Rotorua, NZ

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. February 15, 2011

February 14, 2011 - IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) will establish its fifth Holiday Inn hotel in New Zealand on 1 March, following the signing of a 10-year agreement to assume management and branding of the privately-owned Heritage Hotel Rotorua.

Due to rebrand as Holiday Inn Rotorua, the 203-room hotel has long been owner-operated by Rotorua International Plaza Hotel Ltd (RIPH Ltd) as a Heritage Hotels franchise. Under the new agreement, IHG will take over management of all day-to-day hotel operations in addition to implementing the international Holiday Inn brand and service standards.

The full-service hotel is situated in one of New Zealand's most popular tourism destinations, famous for its hot thermal springs. The property incorporates the Pohutu Cultural Theatre - a Maori cultural experience presented by third-generation descendants of the region's Te Arawa tribe - along with six conference rooms, an all-day dining restaurant and bar, and a full fitness centre with outdoor swimming pool.

The hotel will join a network of more than 1,300 Holiday Inn hotels and close to a quarter of a million guestrooms worldwide, at a time where over USD1 billion has been invested globally in refreshing the brand over the last three years.

“Holiday Inn is one of the world's most recognised hotel brands, more so following three years of upgrading locations and the international rollout of new service standards and brand hallmarks in what is the biggest rebranding exercise in hospitality history. It will automatically open this hotel up to new markets, both inbound and domestic,” said IHG chief operating officerAustralasia, Bruce McKenzie.

A need to improve international recognition and capture a greater share of visitors to the region motivated the decision to appoint IHG to manage and brand the hotel as a Holiday Inn, said RIPH Ltd director, Stephen Low.

“This hotel is yet to meet its potential in terms of operating performance. Its location and other assets, not least of which being the Pohutu Cultural Theatre, warrant a greater share of international and domestic visitors to Rotorua. Rebranding as a Holiday Inn and handing over management of the asset makes sense given IHG's management and marketing experience and resources, and proven ability to attract these markets,” Stephen said.

The addition of Holiday Inn Rotorua to its managed hotel portfolio will bring IHG's network of hotels in New Zealand - which also includes InterContinental and Crowne Plaza hotels - to nine. Internationally, IHG is the world's largest hotel company by number of rooms, with more than 650,000 rooms in over 4,500 hotels in 100 countries and territories.

“There is definitely room for us to further expand our network in New Zealand across our three major international brands, in addition to the potential introduction of Holiday Inn Express and our boutique brand Hotel Indigo, in the coming year,” Bruce said.

“The rebranding of this hotel couldn't come at a better time as international attention on Rotorua builds ahead of the Rugby World Cup in September, and there will be plenty of opportunity to increase international recognition and share in the months ahead.”

Established in 1952, Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts remains one of the world's most popular midscale hotel brands, representing high quality and service for business and leisure travellers around the world. In the Asia Pacific region, there are more than 100 Holiday Inn hotels with close to 30,000 guest rooms, with more than 80 additional hotels in the pipeline.