IHG’s Holiday Inn brand is set for a return to Cairns in Far North Queensland after the company signed a management agreement with Taisei Kanko Australia Pty Limited to rebrand the 173-room Mercure Cairns Harbourside.
The hotel is set to undergo a refurbishment before opening as a Holiday Inn later this year and it will be the eleventh Holiday Inn hotel in the country.
“It is an exciting time for IHG as we work with our partners to grow our brands in new markets – our upcoming Crowne Plaza in Tasmania and InterContinental in Perth are great examples of that,” said IHG’s Chief Operating Officer, Australasia, Japan and Korea and Asia, Middle East and Africa (AMEA) Franchising, Karin Sheppard.
“Today, in partnership with Taisei Kanko Australia Pty Ltd, we are bringing Holiday Inn to Cairns. Domestic travel continues to pick up and as the gateway to one of the world’s top tourist attractions Cairns is a key city for us in Australia.
“We are confident the hotel’s location and facilities will make Holiday Inn Cairns Harbourside one of the top choices for people travelling to Cairns,” she said.
Located at the northern end of The Esplanade in Cairns, a key access point for the Great Barrier Reef, Holiday Inn Cairns Harbourside will particularly appeal to guests on holiday looking to experience the World Heritage Site.
“Cairns presents great growth opportunities as the city continues to experience record visitor arrivals and grow as a tourism destination,” said Taisei Kanko Australia Group Managing Director, Hidenori Kado.
“It is a great time to be bringing an international brand as recognised as Holiday Inn into the market and we are confident that the brand’s heritage, IHG’s experience in operating great hotels and our expertise in real estate investment and the leisure industry will ensure the hotel is a success when it opens later in the year.”
The hotel also enjoys close proximity to Cairns Airport and is a short distance from the scenic Cairns waterfront and harbour.