HIEX Sydney Airport is expected to be open in early 2020.

Pro-invest Group has offered a first look at new Holiday Inn Express developments coming to Sydney Airport and Queenstown ahead of the imminent opening later this month of its first property in Melbourne.

The rapidly growing collection will add Melbourne Southbank to its portfolio in coming days, joining properties in Brisbane, Adelaide, Newcastle and Macquarie Park in Sydney. The 345-room newbuild is located close to the Yarra River, the Crown Complex and the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, with easy transport links to the rest of Melbourne.

Rooms feature a number of green initiatives including high-performance glazing, air-cooled chillers, rooftop solar and regenerative lift drives, all working to reduce the hotel’s reliance on mains power. Guests staying two or more nights can also opt to receive 500 IHG Rewards Points each day in exchange for giving up daily housekeeping services, thereby reducing their environmental footprint.

HIEX & Suites Queenstown will follow later in 2020, with work in Auckland also underway.

Holiday Inn Express locations under advanced construction include Sydney Airport and Queenstown, with the pair on track to open in early and mid-2020 respectively. A second hotel is also underway in Melbourne at Little Collins Street.

Pro-Invest Group CEO, Ronald Barrott, said the group’s assets continue to exceed booking expectations and that plans are afoot to double the portfolio over the next five years.

“Projects in Auckland and the Sunshine Coast are underway, as are plans for a second hotel in Melbourne (Little Collins). By 2021 we anticipate a total room count of 2,458 rooms across 11 properties.”

The developer also recently announced the launch of a new investment fund in partnership with the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, under which all present and future newbuilds would comply with strict energy-saving initiatives to ensure attainment of 5-Star NABERS Energy Ratings.