IHG Signs Two Holiday Inn Hotels in Regional Australia, 190 Rooms Total

IHG Hotels & Resorts has signed two Holiday Inn properties in regional Australia — Holiday Inn Tamworth in New South Wales and Holiday Inn & Suites Rockhampton in Queensland — adding a combined 190 rooms to two non-metro markets that rarely attract global-brand commitments. Both hotels will be operated by La Vie Hotels & Resorts, an Australian group whose portfolio now spans the country from Townsville to Tamworth.

The two deals take very different physical paths. In Tamworth, IHG will convert the existing 60-room Best Western Sanctuary Inn through a comprehensive refurbishment of guestrooms, reception and restaurant, targeted for completion in 2027. A further 30 rooms will be constructed by 2029, taking the property to 90 rooms.

Rockhampton is a ground-up project. Holiday Inn & Suites Rockhampton will deliver 100 contemporary guestrooms, including 40 one- and two-bedroom suites, within a mixed-use precinct. The spec targets multiple demand segments at once:

• 350 square metres of conference and events space
• A 100-seat function room
• An outdoor swimming pool

That configuration positions the hotel for business, leisure and extended-stay guests in a city that serves as a regional hub for resources, agriculture, commerce and tourism.

What do the deals change for the two markets?

For Tamworth, the project replaces dated regional stock with a globally distributed brand in a city built on the annual Tamworth Country Music Festival plus steady corporate, government and leisure travel, underpinned by agriculture, logistics, health and education sectors. For Rockhampton, it adds full-service conference capacity — a scarce asset in Central Queensland's resource-driven economy — rather than rooms alone.

The commercial logic runs through IHG's distribution rather than the buildings themselves. Both properties will plug into IHG's global distribution channels, its sales network and the IHG One Rewards loyalty programme, which the company frames as the mechanism for lifting inbound demand in markets that lack international marketing budgets of their own.

Matt Tripolone, Managing Director, Australasia & Pacific at IHG Hotels & Resorts, framed the signings around regional economic potential: "Regional Australia has so much to offer, and quality accommodation plays an important role in helping these destinations realise economic potential." He described Holiday Inn as a brand that fits family holidays, business travel and regional events alike, making it suitable for both cities.

The operator brings local execution. Jerry Xu, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of La Vie Hotels & Resorts, said the two markets differ sharply but share one requirement: "Tamworth and Rockhampton are two very different markets, but both reward a hotel that gets the basics right and knows its town. Holiday Inn gives travellers a name they already trust, and we'll bring the local know-how to make each hotel work for business, events and family guests." Xu added that the signings reflect La Vie's continued growth across Australia and "the strength of our partnership with IHG."

Holiday Inn, established in 1952, now counts more than 1,260 hotels globally, making it one of the largest single brands in the sector. Parent IHG operates 17 brands and more than 6,000 open hotels in over 100 countries, with a further 1,800 properties in the development pipeline and roughly 350,000 employees across hotels and corporate offices.

The Tamworth refurbishment completes in 2027, with the full 90-room property delivered by 2029; Rockhampton's timeline follows its new-build construction schedule, with both hotels banking on brand distribution and regional demand growth to justify the conversion of secondary-market assets into full-service, globally branded properties.