InterContinental Hotels Group goes to Kuakata

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) continues to expand its footprint in Bangladesh with the signing of its two new hotels in Kuakata – second largest beach in the country known as Sagar Kannya (Daughter of the Sea). 

IHG signed a management agreement recently with Evalona Ltd to construct two new luxury hotels there.

The 200-room Holiday Inn Resort Kuakata is scheduled to open in early 2026 and the 150-rooms Crowne Plaza Kuakata will open its doors to guests in the first quarter of 2028, said a press rerelease from the IGH on Monday. 

Located on the second largest beach in Bangladesh, both hotels will be best in class products in the country, reads the press release.

Affirming an optimistic mid-long term outlook despite the ongoing global pandemic, this marks the third signing across four hotels for IHG in the South West Asia (SWA) region since the second quarter of 2020.

Located approximately 280 km from Dhaka, Kuakata is a beach town on the coast along the Bay of Bengal in Southern Bangladesh.

A beautiful destination on its own, the beach is 18 km long and 3 km wide and offers a full view of sunrise and sunset.

The location can also be accessed by speed boat from the Sundarbans (mangrove forests) and is in close proximity to Payra Seaport development, which is set to become an important seaport in the country.

A perfect destination for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) events, Crowne Plaza Kuakata will offer a ballroom accommodating 800-900 guests, two function rooms, two meeting rooms, a business centre and a boardroom (2,475 sqm in total).

Offering a wide range of food and beverage options, the hotel will feature an all-day dining restaurant, two specialty restaurants and a lobby lounge and bar.

For guests to rejuvenate, Crowne Plaza Kuakata will feature a spa, a fitness centre, an outdoor pool and a recreation area, as well.

Positioned as a great destination for leisure travelers, on opening, Holiday Inn Resort Kuakata will feature an all-day dining restaurant, a fitness centre, a retail area along with an indoor and outdoor recreation area.

The hotel will also offer a meeting room and a boardroom for guests with business requirements.

Sudeep Jain, managing director, SWA, IHG said, "Being built at an excellent location, Crowne Plaza Kuakata and Holiday Inn Resort Kuakata will be amongst the first international hotels in Kuakata and will benefit from the latent demand for international, branded holiday and MICE destination within Bangladesh."

He further said, "The signing is testament to our long-term commitment to grow in the SWA region and introduce right brands to key markets with the right partners."

"Despite current challenging circumstances, we are confident about the mid-long term outlook of the industry – it is great to see that our owners share the same sentiment and are investing in our trusted brands," he added.

Sadiq Rahman, managing director of Evalona Ltd said, "We are excited to partner with IHG for our first hospitality project and bring Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn brands to the beautiful beach of Kuakata."

HE also said, "IHG has a strong reputation in the country with its existing portfolio and a robust pipeline."

InterContinental and Holiday Inn are two brand hotels of IGH in Dhaka now.

IHG also has 39 hotels in SWA across mainstream, upscale and luxury segments and 54 in the pipeline (numbers as of June 30th).