IHG Hotels & Resorts, one of the world's leading hotel companies, continues to grow through the Holiday Inn Express brand in Europe.

Holiday Inn Express, the largest hotel brand in the IHG group, is growing rapidly around the world. There are now over 2,900 hotels and more than 680 openings are planned in the coming years.

The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the resilience of this brand. When hotel closures were imposed across Europe, over 80% of the brand's hotels were allowed to remain open for essential travels.

In addition, the brand offers a wide variety of options, conversions or builds, and attracts both business and leisure guests. In recent years, Holiday Inn Express has rolled out its next-generation room and public space concepts in existing and new hotels, which, according to the group, has resulted in excellent feedback from owners and very good customer satisfaction.

So, despite the recent challenges facing the industry today, IHG has signed 11 new Holiday Inn Express properties in Europe in 2020, completing the opening of its 17 new European properties in the same year. Some of the most recent Holiday Inn Express openings featuring the new concepts in Europe include Holiday Inn Express Nice Grand Arenas (France) opening in February 2021, and Holiday Inn Express Bodmin Victoria Junction (United Kingdom) opened in July 2020.

4 new openings have been announced in the coming years in Europe:

•     Holiday Inn Express & Suites Basel - Allschwil, Switzerland (220 rooms)
•     Holiday Inn Express Ankara Airport, Turkey (122 rooms)
•     Holiday Inn Express Rome - Airport, Italy (224 rooms)
•     Holiday Inn Express Liverpool - Duke Street, United Kingdom (255 rooms)

Willemijn Geels, vice president of European development for IHG Hotels & Resorts, said: "At IHG Hotels & Resorts, we pride ourselves on the continued growth of our brands, so I am delighted to see Holiday Inn Express enter new leisure destinations in Europe, which is a key focus for us this year. Whether it's airports, motorways, city centres, beachfront locations or conversion and new build opportunities, the brand has a consistent and reliable offering that has stood up to Covid-19. These signings and openings are a testament to the confidence our owners and partners have in IHG and its brands. We are truly excited to see these properties come to life and welcome more in the future."