InterContinental Hotels Group and Ford Dynasty Pty Ltd have signed a franchise agreement to refurbish and rebrand the current Lasseters Hotel Alice Springs. The property is scheduled to reopen as the 205-room Crowne Plaza Alice Springs Lasseters in December.
The signing is a key milestone for IHG, marking its re-entry into the Northern Territory, and the return of the Crowne Plaza brand to Alice Springs.
Located adjacent to key Alice Springs visitor attractions such as Alice Springs Convention Centre and the casino, Crowne Plaza Alice Springs Lasseters will remain one of the town’s largest hotels.
“We have been working hard to find the right location and the right partner for a signing in Alice Springs, and truly believe we have found both with Crowne Plaza Alice Springs Lasseters,” Karin Sheppard, COO Australasia & Japan, IHG, said in a statement. "In this franchise partnership with our colleagues at Ford Dynasty, a subsidiary of Lasseters International Holdings Limited, we will create an exciting new accommodation offering for visitors to Alice…The Owners will commence a significant refurbishment program in 2017, which will see the hotel guest rooms renovated.”
“We are excited to be partnering with IHG to rebrand our hotel under the Crowne Plaza brand,” Paul Wong, CEO, Lasseters International Holdings Limited, said. “This rebranding will also accompany a significant $5-million refurbishment of the guest rooms, ensuring that the hotel is best positioned to take advantage of the burgeoning Alice Springs market well into the future. When assessing which global hotel group to align with IHG stood out as offering the best brand and support system to enable us to achieve our growth vision for the future.”
IHG currently has 26 hotels operating under four brands in Australia: InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express. Crowne Plaza currently has more than 400 hotels open in 63 countries. There are currently 11 Crowne Plaza hotels in Australia and New Zealand, with additional developments underway including Crowne Plaza Sydney Darling Harbour, Crowne Plaza Hobart and Crowne Plaza Christchurch.