Kensington Close hotel to re-brand as Holiday Inn

21 June 2016 by Katherine Price

The owners of the Kensington Close Hotel have signed a deal with InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) to re-brand the property as a Holiday Inn.

selling the property in October 2015 for about £350m. However, the company has now decided that entering into a franchise partnership would be more beneficial, according to Philip Lassman, development director UK & Ireland at IHG.

The hotel will undergo a rebrand and refurbishment, including the development of an open lobby, before re-opening as a Holiday Inn in December 2016. It will be one of the largest Holiday Inn hotels in Europe and will become a flagship for the brand.

Azad Cola, director of Kensington Close Hotel Limited, said the business had been considering operating under a brand for some time. He said: "We took time to decide where and with whom we wanted to enter into our first franchise agreement with. We are very excited to be entering into this partnership with IHG, especially given this hotel will be a landmark property within the Holiday Inn brand family. IHG and the Holiday Inn brand was a natural choice for us when deciding how to evolve our hotel."

Lassman added: "I am delighted that they have chosen IHG as their first franchise partner. We are incredibly excited to be opening one of our largest Holiday Inn hotels within Europe with Kensington Close Hotel Limited."

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