Riyadh – Mubasher: In a response to Saudi Vision 2030, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has announced its intention to expand its current 33-hotel portfolio in the kingdom by opening an office in Riyadh in March 2020.

This step comes also as part of the leading hotel company’s response to opportunities it presents to the tourism and hospitality sector, according to a press release on Monday. 

InterContinental Hotels’ new office is expected to boost the performance of its existing estate further in Saudi Arabia while simultaneously supporting the expanding portfolio, “as well as the company’s ambition towards leading Saudization efforts in the industry.”

Saudi Arabia is considered a priority market for IHG, among all countries in the Middle East, with 20 hotels in the pipeline that are scheduled to open in the next 3-5 years.

In this regard, the hotel group has appointed Bastien Blanc as the managing director for Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, starting 1 March 2020.

Bastien will lead the operations across IHG’s portfolio of hotels in the Middle East and Africa while, mainly, being responsible for driving both growth and performance for IHG in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

New roles across functions such as commercial, financial and procurement, learning and development, and IT will be backing the Riyadh office.

Commenting on InterContinental Hotels’ recent developments, the group’s managing director, IMEA, Pascal Gauvin, said: “Saudi Arabia is a key market for IHG in the Middle East. With Saudi Vision 2030 and the rapid socio-economic transformation in the country, we believe, the tourism and hospitality industry will continue to be presented with unparalleled opportunities."