IHG has announced the signing of the Holiday Inn Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof, one of the first Holiday Inns in Germany to feature the brand’s new ‘Open Lobby’ concept.

The 249-room property is due to open in early 2015 and will operate under a managed contract in partnership with UBM.  Union Investment acquired the project development for its open-ended real estate fund ‘UniImmo: Deutschland’.

The hotel is ideally located for business and leisure travellers, who will find themselves walking distance from the city’s business district and historic town centre, 1.5km from the trade fair market and only 500m from the Frankfurt central railway station,

IHG’s Vice President Development Germany, Martin Bowen said: “Frankfurt is Germany’s major trade fair city and this hotel will help meet the demands of the city’s many business and trade fair guests. The new ‘Open Lobby’ concept is designed specifically with busy travellers like them in mind - research shows that our guests want to be comfortable, relaxed and cared for on the road, and all in a familiar environment that takes care of their everyday needs. The Open Lobby is more than a hotel bar, restaurant or lounge – it combines all the existing public spaces into one open, cohesive space. It gives guests options whether they’re looking to eat, relax, work, or have fun.

“We have 57* Holiday Inn brand family hotels (Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express) in Germany, and the brand is an important growth driver for us here. With over 3,400 hotels* worldwide, the brand is the most widely recognised lodging brand in the world. Every year 100 million people stay at a Holiday Inn brand family hotel around the world - they know they can expect a consistent, refreshed experience wherever they are.”

The ‘Open Lobby’ concept combines front desk, lobby, business centre, restaurant and bar into a cohesive, open design with a residential feel. The dining area will include a new food and beverage offer, a bar with peninsulas where guests can enjoy breakfast or eat throughout the day and a chef station. Food will be available 24/7 and guests will have the advantage of free Wi-Fi.

IHG has 69 hotels in Germany, of which 57 belong to the Holiday Inn brand family. The company has 19 hotels in the pipeline in Germany.  UBM have partnered with IHG on numerous occasions, and currently have management contracts for the InterContinental Warsaw, Crowne Plaza Amsterdam and Crowne Plaza St Petersburg Airport.

Holiday Inn hotels participate in IHG’s guest loyalty programme, Priority Club Rewards, the industry’s first and largest guest loyalty program with 71 million members.