Ishraq Gulf Real Estate Holding, the exclusive developer of the Holiday Inn Express brand of hotels in the GCC excluding Saudi Arabia, has broken ground at the site of the first Holiday Inn Express hotel in Bahrain.

The ceremony marks the commencement of construction on the 22-storey limited service hotel.

Ishraq, majority-owned by Dubai International Capital, is developing the 279-room Holiday Inn Express Manama, due to open its doors in the fall of 2011. The hotel will be the brand’s first venture in Bahrain and the first outside of Dubai. It will join the three existing Holiday Inn Express properties in Dubai, namely Dubai Internet City, Safa Park and Jumeirah.

A fourth property in Dubai, strategically located opposite Terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport, opens in January 2010, which will become the world’s largest operating Holiday Inn Express property, offering 381 rooms, targeting the price-conscious business and leisure travellers seeking quality lodgings at affordable rates.

“Holiday Inn Express Manama is conveniently located in Bahrain’s business district, just minutes away from Bahrain International Airport, the King Fahd Causeway, Bahrain Financial Harbour, diplomatic missions and the shopping district,” stated Sami Al Ansari, CEO of Ishraq Gulf Real Estate.

“The limited service sector is a burgeoning new segment in the Middle East and IHG is committed to ensuring that we are at the forefront of this development,” explained John Bamsey, chief operating officer, IHG, Middle East and Africa.

Bahrain’s first Holiday Inn Express will be located in the heart of Manama’s Exhibition Area between the central commercial, business and government districts. The property, with a total built up area in excess of 21,000 square metres, will include 17 floors of guest rooms and hotel facilities in addition to a multi-storey car park.

The hotel will offer a host of onsite facilities that include a mini-gym, an ‘Express Communications Centre’ equipped with essential business facilities such as fax, internet, printing and copying services, in addition to several meeting rooms that can accommodate up to 40 delegates, lounge, an all-day dining restaurant and a complimentary daily ‘Great Breakfast’.

Holiday Inn Express Manama will be operated by Ishraq Hospitality Management, a subsidiary of Ishraq Gulf Real Estate Holding Company.

Ishraq plans to continue its regional expansion, developing further Holiday Inn Express branded properties in the region over the next few years. Locations of future properties include Abu Dhabi, Doha, and Muscat.-TradeArabia News Service