InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has inaugurated the Holiday Inn Express Gurgaon Sector 50, the first Holiday Inn Express hotel in Gurugram, India.

As a part of IHG’s partnership with SAMHI for a portfolio of 14 Holiday Inn Express hotels, this property will be the first to open its doors to guests on 15 September. The hotel offers 205 rooms, an enhanced “Great Room”, a gym and laundry room.

Holiday Inn Express Gurgaon Sector 50 is situated in a mixed-use complex populated with a shopping mall, restaurants, entertainment, and wellness facilities. The hotel is 30 minutes from Indira Gandhi International Airport and the railway station, and close to the Metro station.

More than ready

The launch also marked the unveiling of a new Holiday Inn Express brand campaign in India, centered around “More Than Ready”, a platform targeted at 25-35 year travellers, who look for added advantages to accomplish their travel goals. The brand campaign was kicked off by a performance by Kanan Gill, Indian stand-up comedy artist.

“Holiday Inn Express is our fastest growing brand globally”

Commenting on the announcement, Vivek Bhalla, regional vice president, SWA, IHG, said: “We are delighted to launch the first Holiday Inn Express hotel as a part of our partnership with SAMHI, an eminent player in the hospitality industry in India.

“Our growth in India is fueled by the Holiday Inn brand family, and this partnership underscores our commitment to grow our midscale offering in the country. Holiday Inn Express is our fastest growing brand globally, and we see further opportunity in the South West Asia market to expand our footprint.”

He added: “Gurugram is one of the fastest growing business hubs in India, and with excellent location, intelligent design, and a great service culture, we are confident that Holiday Inn Express Gurgaon Sector 50 will see great success and offer an uncompromising and modern guest experience to travellers visiting the city.”

“Lead the way for the midscale hotel space in India”

Ashish Jakhanwala, MD and CEO, SAMHI, added: “We are very excited to inaugurate Holiday Inn Express Gurgaon Sector 50, the first of the 14 hotels Holiday Inn Express portfolio, under the SAMHI & IHG partnership. The conversion and the rebranding exercise of our existing portfolio to the Holiday Inn Express brand is one of the largest in the hospitality industry.

“We strongly believe that a combination of strong locations, a vibrant product and the power of the brand Holiday Inn Express, will lead the way for the midscale hotel space in India.”

IHG and SAMHI entered a partnership in 2017 to rebrand 14 hotels (approximately 2000 rooms, operating and under construction) to Holiday Inn Express hotels. Creating a pan-India presence, the hotels will be located across key cities in India such as Bengaluru, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Kolkata.

The hotels under the portfolio are being renovated and upgraded with the latest design directives, to ensure the portfolio is fully representative of the Holiday Inn Express brand globally.