IHG^® (InterContinental Hotels Group), one of the world’s leading hotel companies, has announced that it will bring the Holiday Inn brand back to Romania with the signing of Holiday Inn Bucharest Times.

Set to open in Autumn/Winter 2020 with 102 rooms, the hotel is signed under a franchise agreement with first-time IHG partner, the De Silva Group. The Holiday Inn Bucharest Times will occupy an excellent city-center location, within one kilometer from the capital city’s main road, the Boulevard Unirii and the National Stadium, and a short metro ride away from Bucharest’s main business districts.

The announcement is an important strategic step for the growth of IHG’s presence in Romania, marking the first signing in the country for over 20 years and joining two open IHG hotels: The InterContinental Bucharest and the Crowne Plaza Bucharest. The sixth-largest city in the European Union, Bucharest has achieved one of the fastest growth rates of overnight tourist stays across Europe, showing exciting potential for the expansion of well-known and loved brands like Holiday Inn.

Miguel Martins, Development Director Eastern Europe & Turkey, IHG, commented: “We are excited to partner with the De Silva Group for the first time as we bring Holiday Inn to the city of Bucharest. Romania is an increasingly popular European business and leisure destination, with strong market growth and plenty of opportunities to expand IHG’s footprint. This signing underscores the significant momentum that the Holiday Inn brand experiences in Europe and is a clear sign of our owners’ and partners’ confidence in the brand’s potential.”

Virgil Calina, CEO of De Silva Group, added: “We are delighted to be partnering with IHG on this exciting project and tapping into its world-class systems and expertise. We strongly believe that a globally well-known brand with a unique brand proposition such as Holiday Inn will be a great fit for the city of Bucharest, and we look forward to welcoming guests from across Romania and beyond.”

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The hotel will feature Holiday Inn’s Open Lobby concept, a revolutionary approach which has transformed the traditional hotel lobby format by combining the front desk, lobby, restaurant, bar, lounge area and business center into one open, cohesive space, while refreshing the design to give it a more contemporary feel.

The Holiday Inn brand is one of the most recognized hotel brands across the globe and one of the biggest brands within IHG’s evolving portfolio, offering warm and friendly service since 1952. For owners, the brand offers the ability to drive higher returns by delivering exceptional business-class stays and leveraging IHG’s powerful systems, including best-in-class revenue management and technology capabilities and IHG Rewards Club, one of the world’s largest hotel loyalty programs.