IHG opens two Sydney hotels in one day

IHG opens two Sydney hotels in one day

Conquest’s hotels in Burwood and Parramatta have joined the rapidly-growing InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) family, rebranding and opening their doors on the same day.

The Burwood hotel, which has been open for less than a year as an independently-branded property, has been rebadged as Crowne Plaza Sydney Burwood.

This chic hotel offers contemporary accommodation as well as a grill restaurant, European-inspired café, meeting facilities and gym, along with a rooftop pool and bar with uninterrupted views of the Sydney skyline.

Conquest’s Parramatta hotel has been rebranded as Holiday Inn & Suites Parramatta Marsden Street.

Originally opened in 2018, the design-led hotel is the first Holiday Inn to open with a suite offering in Australia. The property also includes a café, in-room dining and a gym, it’s perfect for the business or leisure traveller.

IHG’s vice president of development for Australasia, Japan and the Pacific, Abhijay Sandilya, said: “We are so thrilled to welcome Conquest’s two amazing hotels to the IHG family, expanding our presence in Greater Sydney and continuing our strongest year of hotel openings on record in Australasia.

“Conquest is a brilliant operator and we are honoured that they have chosen the world-class Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn brands, with the power of the IHG system, to accelerate their success into the future. We look forward to building a great partnership.”

Michael Akkawi, CEO at Conquest, said: “Our hotels in Burwood and Parramatta have quickly become icons in their respective neighbourhoods, building a loyal customer following in their first two years.

“However, as we look to the future after a challenging 2020, we recognise the benefit of partnering with the world’s best brands and distribution channels to build on our past successes.

“These modern hotels are perfect fits for the Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn brands, and we look forward to a successful partnership with IHG, bringing our hotels to life in new and exciting ways from today.”

The signing of these two hotels comes at the end of IHG’s ‘Year of Crowne Plaza’ in Australia, following the opening of new properties in Hobart, Adelaide and Sydney’s Darling Harbour, as well as refurbishing the majority of its estate.

From 2021, Holiday Inn will be at the forefront, with the first of IHG’s 12 Australian Holiday Inn pipeline hotels opening their doors, including in Melbourne’s Werribee, Richmond, Geelong, and Bourke Street Mall.

IHG currently has 56 hotels operating under four brands in Australasia – InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Voco and Holiday Inn Express – with another 34 in the pipeline.

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