27 July, 2016 – InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), one of the world’s leading hotel companies, has announced it will add its first Holiday Inn hotel in Queenstown later this year following the conversion of the former Goldridge Resort; and a new build 120-room Holiday Inn Express hotel in Christchurch city centre, to open in 2018.
The new hotels will operate under franchise agreements in partnership with USAR Queenstown Ltd and USAR Christchurch Limited, backed by well-known New Zealand hoteliers, the Sarin family.
The rebrand of the Goldridge Resort to Holiday Inn Queenstown will officially take place in December 2016 following a $3.5million refurbishment of rooms and public areas. A 50-room extension to the property is also planned for the near future adding to the hotel’s existing 75 rooms. The property overlooks the Frankton Arm inlet of Lake Wakatipu, with easy access to The Remarkables and Coronet Peak ski fields. The hotel will join IHG’s Crowne Plaza Queenstown to offer two internationally branded hotels in one of New Zealand’s key tourism destinations.
The new Holiday Inn Express Christchurch hotel, set to open late 2018, will sit conveniently in the Christchurch CBD and a mere 100 metres from the new convention centre due to open in 2019. The property will also be within reach of “The Frame”, a large green space featuring cafes and restaurants, cycle paths, walkways and large landscaped areas for festivals and events. IHG also has a Crowne Plaza hotel currently under construction in Christchurch due to open mid-2017.
Karin Sheppard, COO Australasia & Japan, IHG said: “There is high demand for hotels in key destinations across New Zealand – including both Queenstown and Christchurch – as the result of a thriving tourism economy.
