IHG Signs Two Beach Resorts in Phuket, Thailand

(21/02/23)  IHG has signed a franchise agreement with Destination Group, a leading hospitality and restaurant company, to rebrand two resorts in Phuket, Thailand.

Independent hotels Surin Phuket Beach Resort and Karon Phuket Beach Resort will undergo renovations and be rebranded as the Holiday Inn Resort Phuket Surin Beach and Holiday Inn Resort Phuket Karon Beach in 2023.

The deal brings the Holiday Inn portfolio in Thailand to 12 opened and in the pipeline, and adds to recent 2022 openings Holiday Inn Resort Krabi Ao Nang Beach and Holiday Inn Resort Samui Bophut Beach.

Gary Murray, Founder & CEO of Destination Group, with Rajit Sukumaran, IHG's MD - South East Asia and Korea

“Surin and Karon are some of the best beach destinations for leisure travellers, and appeal greatly to families. Pre-pandemic, Phuket attracted 10 million visitors annually and we are confident that as travel continues to recover and as flights return, it will continue to be one of the most visited destinations in Thailand,” said Gary Murray, Founder & CEO of Destination Group. “We are aligned with IHG in our vision to offer world class products and experiences and want all of our guests to enjoy a memorable holiday together. We believe that Holiday Inn’s proposition as one of the most recognised brands in the world offering a consistent, affordable and approachable service experience is a good fit for these resorts and will benefit from the strength and scale of IHG’s global systems, technology and loyalty programme. We look forward to taking the properties to even greater heights with IHG.”

The 256-room Holiday Inn Resort Phuket Surin Beach is 25 minutes from Phuket International Airport, a 20-minute drive from Patong and 150 metres to Surin beach.

Its key appeal will be its Family Rooms and Suites and a wide array of activities for kids including an arcade room, cinema, ice cream shop and toy store. Other facilities include three restaurants and bars, swimming pool, fitness centre, spa and kids club Siam Adventure Club

The 224-room Holiday Inn Resort Phuket Karon Beach is 60 minutes from Phuket International Airport, a 20-minute drive from Patong and 100 metres to Karon Beach.

Rooms include family suites and plunge pool suites with facilities such as five restaurants and bars, three swimming pools, fitness centre, spa and kids club Siam Adventure Club.

“The Destination Group is the third largest franchise operator in Asia with an in-house team of highly experienced specialists that acquires, renovates and reposition quality hotel assets. This first-time partnership speaks to the trust that IHG brands and our business model inspire in our franchisees and business partners. I look forward to fostering a wonderful long-term collaboration with the team on these beautiful resort properties,” said Saowarin Chanprakaisi, Director, Development, South East Asia and Korea, IHG. “The two signings are a great complement to the six other opened hotels in Phuket, across the InterContinental, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn Resort, Holiday Inn Express and Crowne Plaza brands, enabling greater synergies, operational efficiency and talent management across our portfolio.”

Thailand continues to be a strong growth market for IHG with 30 hotels (as of latest data from the company) across nine brands in the country and 36 in the pipeline. The company is working to double its estate across all of its brands in the country by 2026.

Headlines: