Op-Ed: ‘IHG’s future investment plans in Greece are robust and strategic’ – Willemijn Geels, IHG

Willemijn Geels

Vice President of Development, Europe IHG Hotels & Resorts

IHG Hotels & Resorts is one of the world’s leading hospitality companies with 19 hotel brands, and more than 6,300 properties across over 100 countries. We pride ourselves on offering genuinely distinct hotel options for all types of travellers, and we are serious about our role in empowering those guests to be able to make true and meaningful choices in how they travel and stay. It is one way we deliver our purpose of True Hospitality for Good, by allowing travellers to be their true selves.

I feel very privileged that I am able to shape so much of that consumer choice as the Europe development lead for IHG together with my team. We work at the conception of each hotel project with hotel owners, investors and partners on a shared vision, and to bring to life a brand and an experience by investing in the destination and ecosystem each project is a part of.

This is to offer guests choices they can own: a Holiday Inn Express hotel when they are choosing smart, simple stays. An InterContinental hotel for worldly elegance.

A Hotel Indigo property to discover a neighbourhood, to discover somewhere new or rediscover somewhere they know.

Keeping customer choice top of mind drives how and where we choose to invest, with a focus on high-growth markets, on leadership in mainstream brands, and on building on our position as a leading player in Luxury & Lifestyle. The Southeast Europe region, including Greece, ticks these criteria.

With a solid foundation and a growing demand for hospitality services, Greece has been proactively enhancing infrastructure and facilities to meet the increasing number of visitors. This development surge encompasses new hotel constructions, resort expansions, and infrastructure upgrades, all contributing to the region’s attractiveness for investment.

So, when assessing the potential for investment here, we look beyond just the numbers to ensure that each property reflects our promise to deliver True Hospitality through exceptional experiences tailored to every guest. Greece’s rich cultural heritage, diverse landscapes, and thriving tourism industry make it an ideal canvas for showcasing the breadth and depth of our portfolio of brands.

Take our Luxury & Lifestyle collection, where we are seeing significant opportunities for growth. Our InterContinental brand is well-established: InterContinental Athens has announced a 20-year extension to its franchise agreement with us, and the opening of InterContinental Crete is hotly anticipated, as the island and its rich cultural heritage attracts more than six million visitors annually. We also look forward to opening Six Senses Megalonisos and Six Senses Porto Heli. The development of these resorts further underscores our dedication to offering unparalleled experiences for discerning travellers and the most special of occasions in Greece.

We know our guests also want to choose stays to cater to different types of occasions. Business travellers who need a place to connect to WiFi, to colleagues or clients. Sports teams or airline crews, where a location matters. We have seen great success across our Premium and Essentials properties, which includes our Crown Plaza Athens – City Centre, Holiday Inn Athens – Airport and Holiday Inn Thessaloniki.

IHG’s future investment plans in Greece are robust and strategic. We aim to strengthen our presence by leveraging our diverse portfolio of brands to offer choice to our guests for their evolving needs. This is underscored by our award-winning IHG One Rewards loyalty programme and our laser-focus on responsible growth through our Journey to Tomorrow programme.
All of this makes me so excited about the opportunities ahead for IHG to contribute to and shape the country’s dynamic hospitality sector.