IHG sees Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) as a huge growth opportunity, and plans to have 100 hotels open by 2020, the company announced today in Moscow.
These hotels will create more than 8,000 new jobs for local people in addition to the 2,500 already working at hotels from the IHG family of brands across Russia and the CIS, according to Angela Brav, chief executive officer for IHG in Europe, who is on a trade mission to Russia with the British prime minister to boost trade ties between the two countries. IHG currently has 16 hotels across Russia and the CIS, including 11 hotels in Russia.
IHG is expanding into regional centers and new fast-growing cities with well-established business communities and tourist attractions such as Samara, Ekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk, Novosibirsk and others. It will also continue to grow in Moscow and St. Petersburg and work with local investors to introduce managed and franchised hotels.
“In Moscow alone, there are just over 9,000 international standard rooms, which is equivalent to around 10% of the hotel rooms in London, so there is still a terrific opportunity for international hotel operators with a presence here,” Bray said. “We’re working with Crocus Group to build Europe’s biggest Holiday Inn here in Moscow, with 1,000 rooms, due to open in 2014.”
IHG has 11 hotels (3,397 rooms) in Russia and five hotels (1,123 rooms) in the CIS; eight hotels (2,636 rooms) in the development pipeline in Russia due to open in the next three to four years; and two hotels (435 rooms) in the pipeline in the CIS.
In November 2011, IHG’s luxury InterContinental brand returns to Russia after a decade away with the opening of InterContinental Moscow Tverskaya. The 203-room hotel will open on Russia’s most famous street creating 260 new jobs for local people.
IHG also announced it was opening the Moscow branch of the IHG Academy in February 2012 to deliver international standard hospitality training in Russia. There will be 15 to 20 places in the three-year course, which will see students spending four days a week in hotels from the IHG family of brands and one day a week at the Moscow State University of Tourism.
The course will also include a three-month work experience placement where students will work in a hotel outside Russia. Once qualified, students will have the opportunity to apply for jobs at a supervisory level.
