Cycas Hospitality has signed a lease agreement with Van der Linde Architecten and Development company to manage IHG’s first new Holiday Inn Express & Suites concept in Europe, which is expected to open in The Netherlands in early 2021.
Whilst the concept of pairing a Holiday Inn Express hotel with additional branded suites has proved increasingly popular with travellers in North America and Asia over the last decade, this is the first signing of IHG’s expanded Holiday Inn Express brand concept in Europe.
The 99-key Holiday Inn Express & Suites Deventer will comprise 83 standard rooms plus 16 suites, providing the first aparthotel facility in the area. Whilst each suite includes a kitchenette, living space and separate sleeping area to cater for longer-staying travellers, guests will still benefit from the hotel’s wider facilities, including complimentary Express StartTM breakfast.
With extensive car parking, the property’s location on the outskirts of Deventer along the A1 motorway, which connects The Netherlands and Germany, and proximity to the bus line 6, with onward rail connections across Europe, ensures the hotel will be easily accessible. Thanks to these great transport links, Amsterdam and the German border are each less than an hour away, while five international airports are all within a 90 minutes’ drive.
The new Holiday Inn Express & Suites Deventer will also be next to the De Weteringen business park, whose mix of engineering, manufacturing and logistics service providers is expected to drive corporate demand for the property’s extended-stay capabilities. The site also includes a petrol station, with a car pool facility, and restaurant.
Matt Luscombe, Chief Executive Officer at Cycas Hospitality, said: “The brand’s mix of suites and standard rooms have proved a welcome combination in other continents, and Cycas is therefore delighted to be working with IHG to bring its new Holiday Inn Express & Suites concept to Europe.
“While at IHG I always admired the Holiday Inn Express brand’s smart formula for success and led the team behind its next-generation guest experience. With the brand’s continued focus on providing customers with everything they need, and nothing they don’t, we’re confident the suites concept will prove a welcome addition for both business and leisure guests in Deventer before expanding further.”
Willemijn Geels, Vice President, Development – Europe at IHG, said: “IHG and Cycas Hospitality have a long history of working together to introduce new brands into Europe and manage dual-branded properties, so are a natural partner to help us launch this brand extension.
“As our fastest growing hotel brand, it’s important that Holiday Inn Express is always looking at new ways to meet the changing needs of today’s travellers. We’re therefore delighted that Cycas will develop and manage the first of the new Holiday Inn Express & Suites concept in Europe and look forward to bringing this new way to stay, and even greater value, to our guests.”
Sylvan van der Linde, owner of Van der Linde Architecten, said: ”Deventer’s central location and excellent transport connections has made it an increasingly attractive option for regional as well as international businesses over the last few years.
“The Holiday Inn Express & Suites brand will ensure we are best placed to make the most of this dynamic business environment and tap into the growing trend for more flexible accommodation, and we look forward to capitalising on Cycas Hospitality’s proven experience in the extended-stay and Dutch markets.”
The new-build hotel will become Cycas’s fourth Benelux property, and first in the region with IHG. With its headquarters in Amsterdam, the hotel management company already operates a Marriott-branded double-decker hotel in the city’s Houthavens area, and will open the 127-suite Residence Inn Brussels Airport in spring 2021.
