IHG returns to Sweden with double-branded property
IHG® Hotels & Resorts announced dual brands Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn Express property marking the return of IHG to the Swedish market.
The signing of the Crowne Plaza & Holiday Inn Express Stockholm Arlanda Airport will be the company’s first hotel in Sweden after returning to the market.
By entering into a new strategic partnership with the owner company Björnbäckens Fastighets AB, the franchise deal strengthens IHG’s presence in the Nordic markets and underlines the company’s growth ambitions for Sweden and beyond.
The dual-branded property will have a total of 420 rooms – 120 housed in the Crowne Plaza property and 300 rooms in the Holiday Inn Express hotel. It will also have a full-service conference center and gym, as well as a great bar and restaurant where you can enjoy some downtime. Strategically located just outside Sweden’s capital Stockholm, the Nordic region’s largest city, and close to both the country’s busiest airport and the new Scandinavian XPO trade fair, the newly built hotel is ideally situated to cater for both leisure and business travellers.
(Mr) Miguel Martins, Head of Development Northern Europe at IHG Hotels & Resortssaid: “As a market with a predominantly lease structure and dominated by domestic brands, Sweden – like most Scandinavian countries – has traditionally been challenging to conquer for hotel companies with a franchise-based business model. We are therefore very excited to enter Sweden with this versatile dual-branded property that is a fantastic representation of both our premium and essential brand portfolio, we are confident that this new partnership with Björnbäckens Fastighets AB will only be the beginning of our strategic expansion in the Nordic markets.”
Alexander Yavuz, CEO, at Björnbäckens Fastighets ABcommented: “We believe the Swedish market offers great opportunities for the hospitality industry and we are excited to launch the Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn Express brands into the market. Relying on its scale, brand recognition and international expertise, IHG Hotels & Resorts is the ideal the partner to successfully grow our portfolio of hotels.”
Crowne Plaza & Holiday Inn Express Stockholm Arlanda Airport is planned to open in 2026 and will be operated by Mogotel Development Holding, an important hotel operator in and outside the Baltics.
Ivans Dokicans, chairman of the board, Mogotel Hotel Groupadded: “As an international hotel operator, we are keen to further expand our footprint in other European markets and are very excited to add this promising project to the mix. Our strength lies in the stable growth of key figures and we believe that Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn Express Stockholm Arlanda Airport will be a leading example of our growing portfolio.”
IHG® currently has eight* hotels operating under three brands in the Nordic countries, including Crowne Plaza®, Hotel Indigo and Holiday Inn®. In addition to the newly signed Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn Express Stockholm Arlanda Airport, the pipeline for the Nordics also includes two fantastic Six Senses properties: Six Senses Svart in Norway and Six Senses Össurá Valley in Iceland.