InterContinental Hotels Group has signed a franchise agreement with Bathroad Corp. for a dual-branded hotel development near Heathrow Airport in London. The Holiday Inn London - Heathrow Bath Road and Staybridge Suites London - Heathrow Bath Road are due to open in 2018.
The 190-room Staybridge Suites property will be in the same building as a new 433-room Holiday Inn hotel. Both are close to the main entrances to Terminals 1, 2 and 3 of Heathrow Airport, which serves 75 million air passengers annually.
The dual-branded model "allows for operational efficiencies through shared facilities and amenities," Starwood claimed in a statement. "With the number of visitors coming to and from Heathrow Airport, this dual branded development is especially suited to its location," Morris Katri, director of Bathroad Corp., added. "With two hotels, we can appeal to a wider pool of guests."
As of the end of Q3 2015, IHG has six Staybridge Suites properties in Europe with another three in the pipeline. In total, IHG has 309 hotels open in the UK, including five open near Heathrow Airport, and a further 25 hotels in the pipeline in the UK.