IHG adds to Saudi portfolio with new Holiday Inn

IHG Hotels & Resorts has signed an agreement to manage a new property in the Saudi capital. (Shutterstock)
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Updated 11 January 2021
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IHG adds to Saudi portfolio with new Holiday Inn

  • IHG currently operates 95 hotels across seven brands in the Middle East

RIYADH: IHG Hotels & Resorts has signed an agreement to manage a new property in the Saudi capital as part of its expansion in the Kingdom.

The deal was signed with Lina Snack Foods Company and the 138-room property, Holiday Inn Riyadh The Business District, is scheduled to open next January.

It is located close to King Khalid International Airport and the Riyadh Front and will feature two food outlets. It will be part of a mixed-use development that includes 20 offices, a coffee shop, a mosque and a nursery. 

Matthew Tripolone, who is a vice president at IHG, said: “Saudi Arabia remains a priority market for us in the region, and we are delighted to add another hotel to our growing portfolio in the country. Despite the current challenges faced by the industry, we believe that Vision 2030 will continue to progress and the hospitality industry will be an extremely important sector.” 

The growth would be fueled by increasing demand from business and leisure travelers and key cities such as Riyadh would be at the center of this demand, he added.

IHG currently operates 95 hotels across seven brands in the Middle East, including InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites, Voco and Six Senses. Dozens more are due to open within the next five years.

It recently signed an agreement to manage the 145-room Voco Jeddah North, which is set to open in the first quarter of 2022.


India seals $3bn LNG agreement with UAE

Updated 19 January 2026
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India seals $3bn LNG agreement with UAE

  • Leaders hold talks to strengthen trade, defense ties

NEW DELHI, DUBAI: India signed a $3 billion deal on Monday to buy liquefied natural gas from the UAE, making it the Gulf country’s top customer, as the leaders of both countries held talks to strengthen trade and defense ties.

The agreement was signed during a very brief two-hour visit to ‌India by UAE ‌President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan for talks with Indian ‌Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

They pledged to double bilateral trade to $200 billion in six years and form a strategic defense partnership.

Abu Dhabi state firm ADNOC Gas will supply 0.5 million tonnes of LNG a year to India’s Hindustan Petroleum Corp. for 10 years, the companies said.

ADNOC Gas said the agreement brings the total value of its contracts with India to over $20 billion.

“India is now the UAE’s largest customer and a ‌very important part of ADNOC Gas’ LNG strategy,” ‍the company said.

The UAE is ‍India’s third largest trading partner and Sheikh Mohammed was accompanied ‍by a government delegation that included his defense and foreign ministers. The two sides signed a letter of intent to work toward forming a strategic defense partnership, India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told reporters.

Misri, however, said that the signing of the letter of intent with the UAE does not mean that India will get involved in regional conflicts.

“Our involvement on the defense and security front with a country from the region does not necessarily lead to the conclusion that we will get involved in ‌particular ways in the conflicts of the region,” he said.