MIAMI ??IHG??(InterContinental Hotels Group) is proud to announce the groundbreaking on a 20-story, 225-room InterContinental??hotel located in the Piantini neighborhood of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. Real Hotels & Resorts, a hotel division of Salvadorian-based Grupo Poma, will own the new development and invest US$70 million in the project.
?There is significant demand for upscale internationally-branded properties in Santo Domingo, and we look forward to bringing the InterContinental?brand to life in this city,? said Joel Eisemann, chief development officer, IHG, the Americas. ?The Dominican Republic is a popular tourist and business destination, making this an ideal location to add a new InterContinental Hotels & Resorts property.?
Scheduled to open in 2015, the Real InterContinental??Santo Domingo hotel will be located on the Avenida Winston Churchill next to the Acropolis, a popular shopping center with luxury restaurants, shops and a sophisticated nightlife district. An upscale residential neighborhood with several apartments and office towers are also nearby. The hotel will appeal to local residents and international travelers alike with a stylish lobby bar atmosphere and various restaurants, meetings rooms, business center, an outdoor pool, fitness center and spa.
This development further strengthens IHG?s relationship with Grupo Poma, owner of seven InterContinental hotels throughout El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica and the?InterContinental at Doral Miami. The Real InterContinental Santo Domingo will be the third IHG-branded property in Santo Domingo already home to a Crowne Plaza?hotel and a Holiday Inn??hotel.
?We are delighted to expand the InterContinental brand in this region,? said Alvaro Diago, chief operating officer, Latin America and Caribbean,?IHG. ?This marks our eighth project with Grupo Poma, and we look forward to continued opportunities that further strengthen our longstanding relationship with them.?
?We have had an excellent relationship with IHG and its brand family,? said Ricardo Poma, president of Grupo Poma. ?The InterContinental hotel brand is synonymous with international luxury and offers guests enriching experiences that appeal to both leisure and business travelers, which is ideal for this particular project.?
The world?s first truly global hotel brand, the InterContinental Hotels & Resorts brand was established in 1946 in Brazil and has had a continuous presence in Latin America, leading the region with its international appeal. InterContinental Hotels & Resorts strives to provide its guests with an experience that is unique to each destination and prides itself on maintaining uncompromised global standards and respect for the heritage of the communities each hotel calls home.
IHG has 18 InterContinental hotels throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, and has been serving Latin America for 67 years. With hotels situated in nearly every key market throughout the region, IHG has 78 hotels in Central and South America and the Caribbean. The scale and diversity of the IHG family of brands means that its hotels can meet guests? needs whatever the occasion. The new hotel will participate in IHG?s guest loyalty program, IHG??Rewards Club. The industry?s first and largest hotel rewards program with over 74 million members is free to join and guests can enroll at?IHGRewardsClub.com, by calling 1-888-211-9874 or by inquiring at the front desk of any of IHG?s more than 4,600 hotels worldwide.