InterContinental Hotels Group has signed a management agreement with Lao International Development to open the first InterContinental-branded hotel in Laos.
Set to open in 2021, the new-build InterContinental Vientiane will join Crowne Plaza Vientiane to be the second hotel managed by IHG in the capital city. The hotel will be part of the upcoming World Trade Centre–a mixed-use complex being developed by Lao International Development—and will have more than 400 rooms.
“Laos is currently one of the region’s fastest growing nations with close to five million international arrivals each year and future infrastructural and industrial developments underway to continue boosting economic growth and attract foreign investment,” Leanne Harwood, VP of operations for IHG, South East Asia & Korea, said in a statement. “It is well on its way to becoming one of the region’s busiest business and tourist destinations and it’s a great time to be bringing the InterContinental brand into the country to tap on this potential.”
“It’s an exciting time to be investing in Laos as the country sees improved intra-regional connectivity through the completed Kunming-Vientiane-Bangkok Highway connecting China, Laos and Thailand and the upcoming high-speed rail project that will link China to Laos in just a few years,” Xiao Long, CEO, Lao International Development, said. “We are confident these infrastructural developments will boost tourist arrivals, especially from surrounding nations, and the opening of InterContinental Vientiane will cater to the influx of travelers.”
IHG operates 184 InterContinental Hotels & Resorts worldwide, with 52 hotels due to open in the next three to five years. In South East Asia, 14 InterContinental Hotels & Resorts with 10 more hotels are due to open over the next few years.