IHG signed a management agreement with Mulpha Australia to take over management of Hayman Island in the Whitsunday Islands of Australia.
The global chain will rebrand the property as Hayman Island, by InterContinental ahead of its expected opening in 2019. The 166-room hotel will share the 988-acre island with Mulpha Australia's collection of homes for sale. The property at the northernmost point in the Whitsunday Islands will undergo a significant refurbishment.
IHG also will continue an existing long-term agreement to manage the InterContinental Sydney and the InterContinental Sanctuary Cove Resort through this latest contract with Mulpha Australia.
InterContinental Sydney will undergo refurbishments over the next few years, the hotel's first major upgrade since opening in the 1980s. The project will include the addition of event spaces, including a grand ballroom.
InterContinental Sanctuary Cove on Queensland’s Gold Coast—the first InterContinental Resort to open in Australia—also will undergo an extensive renovation. The hotel will remain in the center of the Sanctuary Cove Resort, which includes a golf course, a marina and shopping. IHG took over management of the hotel in 2012.
IHG currently has 47 hotels operating under four brands across Australasia: InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express. An additional 19 hotel projects are in the development pipeline, including Hotel Indigo and Even Hotels.
The first Hotel Indigo for Australia and New Zealand is slated to open in 2020. IHG signed the 140-room Hotel Indigo Brisbane Fortitude Valley with Pointcorp in 2016. The property will be part of a mixed-use development with residences, commercial office and retail components located near art galleries, restaurants, boutiques, nightclubs and live music venues.