DUR expands its hospitality portfolio

In an effort to expand its Holiday Inn brand, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) recently inked a master development agreement (MDA) with Dur Hospitality Company. The agreement was for franchise of a number of Holiday Inn & Suites across KSA as well as development of the brand over the next five years.

Pascal Gauvin, chief operating officer, India, Middle East & Africa, IHG, said: “Saudi Arabia is a key market for us as it holds our largest pipeline in the Middle East. Working with the right partner can go a long way in building our brands’ reputation. We are confident the partnership will lend great support to growth of our Holiday Inn presence.”

IHG currently has 24 hotels across three brands in KSA: InterContinental, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn. The company will open a further nine hotels in the next three to five years, including InterContinental Riyadh King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) and Hotel Indigo Riyadh KAFD, which will mark the entrance of the Hotel Indigo brand into the Middle East market.

Eng Abdullah Bin Mohammed Al-Issa, chairman, DUR Hospitality Company, said: “Saudi Arabia is a very unique market and the tourism landscape is changing. We have been managing hotels in KSA for many years now and it is a change in direction for us to be working with an operator to develop this many hotels under one brand.”