IHG Hotels & Resorts’ voco Hotels brand has officially reached the milestone of 50 signed and open hotels in more than 20 countries across the globe. That number marks IHG’s fastest ever global expansion.
After debuting with its first signing and opening in Australia in 2018, voco Hotels entered IHG’s largest markets in the U.S. and China in late 2020, with new properties now open in New York and Hangzhou. Its 50th signing is the voco Brisbane City Centre in Australia, which is set to open its doors later this year.
In 2020, IHG reported an increase in conversion activity with 25 percent of the company’s signings reported as conversions and 13 percent of those for the voco brand. In addition, the brand’s first all-suites property was signed in Doha, Qatar, and the brand opened its first new-build property in Edinburgh, Scotland, with another to open in Nanjing, China, later this year.
“With the ability to hold onto the informality and charm of an independent hotel, paired with the quality and reassurance of a respected global brand, our voco Hotels brand has seen extraordinary growth since launching in Australia only two and a half years ago,” said Jane Mackie, IHG’s SVP, global marketing, luxury & upscale brands. “With its entry into the U.S. and China last year, we anticipate significant growth potential for the voco brand and its unique offer for owners and guests. By focusing on and celebrating each hotel’s individual spirit and character, we make it easier and faster for owners to move from signing to opening, providing a real advantage in today’s market.”
The company’s goal is to have 200 voco hotels in urban and leisure locations around the globe within 10 years.
Here is a look at of some of the brand’s upcoming openings:
Europe, Middle East, Asia & Africa
The brand recently launched in Scotland with the openings of voco Grand Central in Glasgow and voco Edinburgh – Haymarket. The brand is also set to debut in The Netherlands, Italy and Germany, with the planned openings of voco The Hague and voco in Milan later this year, as well as voco Frankfurt in 2022.
Growth for the brand continues across the Middle East with the signing of voco Jeddah North in Saudi Arabia announced in December 2020 and the first all-suites for voco signed in Doha, Qatar. And, when it opens later this year, voco Johannesburg Rosebank will be the first voco property on the African continent.
In Australia, voco Gold Coast and voco Kirkton Park Hunter Valley were among the first to join the collection. Five more voco properties are due to open in Australasia over the coming years, including the brand’s 50th signing, voco Brisbane City Centre, as well as properties in Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland.
The brand will make its debut in Vietnam soon with the voco Ma Belle Danang property, located next to the beachfront along the main thoroughfare of the coastal city.
Greater China
In 2020, following the brand’s launch in the region, the 148-room voco Hangzhou Binjiang Minghao was signed and opened in just over two months. IHG’s first voco signing in Wuhan is also a conversion property, which will be officially opened as voco Wuhan Xinhua in 2021 after renovations are complete.
In 2021, China will also open two voco hotels in Nanjing – one is a new-build property located in the Garden Expo, while the other one is converted from the heritage Nanjing Oriental Pearl Hotel downtown.
Americas
The first voco hotel in the U.S. – voco The Franklin New York – opened in November 2020 on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. The next voco hotel to open in the U.S. this year is expected to be voco The Tiger in downtown Columbia, Mo.