IHG Hotels & Resorts has inked a partnership with Spain-based
Iberostar Hotels & Resorts, with a new IHG resort and all-inclusive
brand, Iberostar Beachfront Resorts, launching as part of the agreement.
Under what the two companies describe as a "long-term commercial
alliance", an anticipated 70 Iberostar resorts, totalling just over
24,000 guestrooms, are expected to enter the IHG system under the
Iberostar Beachfront Resorts flag.
Iberostar said it retains 100% ownership of its brand.
An initial wave of Iberostar Beachfront Resorts properties will enter
the IHG system this December, with those inaugural resorts located
across Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Brazil and Spain's
Canary Islands. The remaining Iberostar Beachfront Resorts properties,
spread across Southern Europe and North Africa, are scheduled to
transition into the IHG system through 2024.
A few high-profile resorts involved in the deal include the Iberostar
Grand Paraiso in Mexico's Riviera Maya, the Iberostar Selection
Hacienda Dominicus in the Dominican Republic, the Iberostar Grand Rose
Hall in Jamaica and the Iberostar Selection Anthelia on Tenerife in the
Canary Islands.
The Iberostar Beachfront Resorts collection will add to IHG's
existing 260 resorts, which are flagged under the group's Six Senses,
Regent, InterContinental, Kimpton, Hotel Indigo, Crowne Plaza, Holiday
Inn and Holiday Inn Club Vacations brands.
According to IHG, the company currently has less than 20 resorts in
the countries where Iberostar Beachfront Resorts are located, with IHG
touting the fact that the Iberostar tie-up "significantly increases and
broadens IHG's resort footprint."
Iberostar Beachfront Resorts, which will be active within the IHG One
Rewards loyalty program, is the 18th flag in IHG's brand portfolio. The
concept will sit within a newly created IHG brand category called
Exclusive Partners, which will exist alongside IHG's Suites, Essentials,
Premium, and Luxury & Lifestyle categories.
"Guests have told us of their wish for increased choice of resort and
all-inclusive destinations within our brand portfolio," IHG Hotels
& Resorts CEO Keith Barr said in a statement, adding that IHG plans
to "explore further opportunities for growth with exclusive partners."