InterContinental Hotels Group has signed a deal with Shanghai Huangpu River Banks Asset Management Co., Ltd for its first Hotel Indigo in the region to be located in Shanghai. Scheduled to open in 2010, the 180-room Hotel Indigo Shanghai on the Bund will be on a riverfront site along the Huangpu River that brings together the past, present and future of Shanghai.

The new hotel will sit on the historic location of the Shiliu Pu (Pier 16) which, from 1821 to 1850, was Shanghai’s focal point for shipping and trading activity. The wharf was outside the Baodaimen gate of the old wall that surrounded the city at that time.

To the immediate north of the hotel’s location is the renowned Bund; the architectural and commercial powerhouse of Shanghai in the 1920s. To the east stands the famous modern-day Pudong skyline and to the south is where the world will come together for the Shanghai World Expo in 2010.

Hotel Indigo Shanghai on the Bund will offer unobstructed views of several famous and historical sites. The area around the hotel is also being developed into a commercial, retail, restaurant and entertainment district called the Pier 16th Development by the Shanghai Huangpu River Banks Asset Management Co.

“We are delighted to be the owners of the first Hotel Indigo in Asia. Shanghai is being developed into a modern global economic and financial metropolis. The Hotel Indigo brand fits perfectly into the city’s aspirations and will enhance the impression that the city leaves on the world. With the international management experience and market-leading position of IHG, we are confident that our partnership will be a bright and successful one,” said Mr Xu Ruqing, vice president, Shanghai Huangpu River Banks Development Construction Investment (Holdings) Co., Ltd.

Hotel Indigo is quickly expanding across the globe, with 19 hotels already open and more than 56 in the pipeline.
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