Holiday Inn is set to launch at the heart of St Julian’s, adding to Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) and Eden Leisure Group’s growing list of hotels in Malta.
IHG and Eden Leisure Group are targeting an opening date at the start of 2024, after a management agreement between the two companies was signed in 2019, Eden Leisure Group CEO Simon De Cesare confirmed.
Plans for the 168-room hotel were “put on hold for a little while during the COVID-19 pandemic,” yet after building permits were granted in January, Eden Leisure Group has been “demolishing and excavating since,” Mr De Cesare said.
While Malta already has a high amount of bed stock, so much so that Mr De Cesare would “in most instances” advise against new hotels, this is Eden Leisure Group’s third hotel under IHG’s management, with the two companies already having the three-star limited-service Holiday Inn Express hotel, as well as the five-star luxury Intercontinental Malta hotel.
“This four-star Holiday Inn hotel would allow us significant flexibility and synergy between our brands and our management,” he added.
“The proximity of the properties and the economics of scale will be immeasurable,” Mr De Cesare continued.
Given the wide array of hotels in Malta available for visitors to choose from, establishing a key target market is a must, and while Holiday Inn is “traditionally a family hotel,” through the “synergies mentioned, it will also cater to the corporate market”, he concluded.
IHG Hotels and Resorts is one of the world’s leading hotel companies, with over 6,028 hotels from several brands currently under its control in more than 100 different countries.
Eden Leisure Group has been the “forefront of hospitality and entertainment in Malta” since the country’s early days of tourism more than 50 years ago, and now operates several entertainment and leisure venues, including the Eden Cinemas and the Eden Superbowl.
Mr De Cesare was named CEO of the company in 2018, using his vast experience in the entertainment industry to help Eden Leisure Group progress even more.
