IHG Hotels & Resorts has launched Garner, its new midscale conversion brand, in Europe; with the first set of hotels opening in Germany. IHG partnered with NOVUM Hospitality to open the properties in Germany.
The two partners have opened three hotels — Garner Hotel Hamburg Nord, Garner Hotel Elmshorn and Garner Hotel Augsburg — within 10 days, marking the brand’s debut outside the Americas.
- Located in northeast Hamburg, Garner Hotel Hamburg Nord has 100 rooms and provides easy access to the area’s shopping districts, restaurants, bars and transport links.
- Welcoming guests since late October, Garner Hotel Elmshorn sits next to the district’s business park and is around 30 minutes from Hamburg. The 75-key hotel is close to restaurants and cafes, bars and shopping districts.
- Garner Hotel Augsburg Nord is located in the city of Augsburg and is surrounded by major attractions. The 132-room hotel is situated close to the city and offers amenities for business as well as leisure travelers.
The hotels have been converted from NOVUM’s Yggotel, Select Hotels and Novum Hotels brand.
These three hotels join IHG’s global portfolio of more than 90 open or pipeline Garner hotels since the brand was launched in 2023.
“We are proud to welcome IHG’s first Garner-branded hotels to Europe with three successive openings in Germany, which is one of our key European growth markets. The dedication of our teams and partners at NOVUM Hospitality to sign, convert and open these hotels is a huge achievement and demonstrates the popularity of Garner as an attractive new option in the midscale segment, offering flexibility, strong returns and a high-quality guest experience with real affordability,” said Mario Maxeiner, managing director Northern Europe, IHG.
Northern Europe is set to welcome more than 50 more Garner hotels, he added.
IHG and NOVUM had inked a long-term agreement in April, enabling IHG to double its footprint in Germany, a growth priority for IHG, to more than 200 hotels in about 100 cities. Besides launching Garner in Europe, the agreement also debuted Holiday Inn – the niu brand collaboration and Candlewood Suites in Europe. So far, NOVUM has integrated more than 40 properties through its collaboration with Holiday Inn – the niu. According to the agreement, NOVUM will adopt the IHG brands and systems for the entire portfolio to become IHG’s biggest global franchisees.
“As one of IHG’s largest global franchise partners, we are incredibly proud to be entrusted with the launch of the first Garner hotels in Europe – starting with not just one, but three properties simultaneously. We are confident in our ability to complete the rebranding of all existing hotels to the Garner brand on schedule, with the majority set to be integrated by mid-2025,” said David Etmenan, CEO and owner NOVUM.
Aiming to offer stays at an affordable price point, Garner hotels provide the most basic amenities guests look for in hotels — convenient location, free WiFi, breakfast and 24×7 snacks and bean-to-cup coffee. Launched in August 2023, Garner opened its inaugural hotel in Auburn, Wash. within three months of the brand’s announcement. At the time of the brand’s launch last year, IHG was aiming to achieve 500 hotels in 10 years and 1,000 properties in the next 20 years in the U.S. alone.