As business and leisure travel to Eastern Europe continues to surge, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), one of the world’s leading hotel companies, is pleased to announce its 10th signing in the region in 2017, with partners Ghelamco.

Crowne Plaza Warsaw Hub will be the first Crowne Plaza in Poland and will be built alongside Holiday Inn Express Warsaw hub, becoming IHG’s first dual-branded complex in the market. The 430-room complex will be IHG’s biggest in Poland and both hotels will be managed by IHG.

The site is in a prime location in the heart of Warsaw’s bustling central business district, within walking distance to the National Museum, Warsaw Old Town and the Warsaw Zoo.

The 212-room Crowne Plaza Warsaw Hub will be located on floors 11 to 21 and will include a Sky Bar complete with terrace overlooking the city. With more than 2,000-sq-m of meeting space, a gym, spa and almost 900-sq-m dedicated to dining, the hotel will be geared towards business travellers to Poland’s capital.

The 218-room Holiday Inn Express Warsaw Hub will occupy levels three to 10 of the complex and will offer guests simple and smart accommodation at an affordable price. Guest rooms will feature the Holiday Inn Express Next Generation design and a 250-sq-m dining facility on level three will serve the brand’s signature Express Start breakfast, which will be included in the price.

According to the European Travel Commission’s report into 2017 tourism trends, there’s been solid growth in visitor arrivals across Eastern Europe, with inbound tourism increasing by 5.2 per cent since the start of the year. Hotel occupancy rates grew by almost 6 per cent with average RevPAR across the region almost 20 per cent higher in 2017 compared to 2016.

Since the start of the year, IHG has signed a record 10 hotels across Eastern Europe – half of which have been in Warsaw, Poland. These have included Holiday Inn Warsaw Mokotow, Holiday Inn Express Warsaw Mokotow and Staybridge Suites Warsaw Ursynów – the first of IHG’s extended stay brand to enter the market.

Miguel Martins, director, Development Poland, IHG, said: “We are excited to be partnering with Ghelambo to bring the first Crowne Plaza to Poland and our first dual branded complex to the market. This will increase the number of rooms in our pipeline in Poland to over 2,000. Now considered a world-class business and leisure travel hub, we’ve seen a huge surge in demand for hotels in Eastern Europe and its exciting that our owner partners are recognising the huge opportunities and benefits of investing in the region.”

There are 9 IHG hotels open in Poland (1,459 rooms) and 10 hotels (2,101 rooms) in the development pipeline. - TradeArabia News Service