InterContinental Hotels Group has announced it will sign a franchise agreement with Grupo Suites S.A. for the new Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Medellin - La Strada in Medellin, Colombia.Medellin is the second largest city in Colombia with a population of 2.4 million.

This hotel will be the fourth IHG property in Colombia, and the second IHG property in the city of Medellin. IHG has a 37-year old presence in Medellin with the InterContinental Medellin hotel which is also celebrating its re-launch. The addition of the Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Medellin - La Strada demonstrates IHG’s commitment to expanding the Holiday Inn Express brand throughout major cities in Central and South America.

The Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Medellin - La Strada is being developed by Grupo Suites S.A., and will be located in the exclusive residential area of El Poblado.  Upon completion, the hotel will be 19-stories high with 90 rooms.  Amenities will include four small meeting rooms, an outdoor swimming pool, a fitness center, a restaurant and a parking lot with 200 spaces.  The construction of the new property will have a contemporary look and feel, connected to La Strada, an upscale mixed use complex located in the exclusive “Villa de Oro.” La Strada will be the ultimate urban project that will mix residential, commercial, restaurants and a hotel.

“We are excited to be part of this contemporary and innovative mixed-use project,” says Alvaro Diago, area president, InterContinental Hotels Group, Latin America. “I feel that this agreement with Grupo Suites S.A. demonstrates our commitment to continue expanding the Holiday Inn Express brand in cities that have seen an increase in economic growth and an increase in tourism.”

“This property is extremely important to us and we are thrilled to be such an integral part of this exciting new concept coming to the city of Medellin,” says Marta Luz Maya Londono of Grupo Suites S.A. “We are honored and to be a part of the IHG family and look forward to working with them.”

InterContinental has also been nominated this year for a

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World Travel Award as World’s Leading Hotel Brand.
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