IHG makes big gain in all-inclusive resorts with Iberostar partnership

IHG Hotels & Resorts has inked a partnership with Spain-based Iberostar Hotels & Resorts, with a new IHG resort and all-inclusive brand, Iberostar Beachfront Resorts, launching as part of the agreement. 

Under what the two companies describe as a “long-term commercial alliance,” an anticipated 70 Iberostar resorts, totaling just over 24,000 guestrooms, are expected to enter the IHG system under the Iberostar Beachfront Resorts flag.

Iberostar said it retains 100% ownership of its brand.

An initial wave of Iberostar Beachfront Resorts properties will enter the IHG system this December, with those inaugural resorts located across Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Brazil and Spain’s Canary Islands. The remaining Iberostar Beachfront Resorts properties, spread across Southern Europe and North Africa, are scheduled to transition into the IHG system through 2024.

A few high-profile resorts involved in the deal include the Iberostar Grand Paraiso in Mexico’s Riviera Maya, the Iberostar Selection Hacienda Dominicus in the Dominican Republic, the Iberostar Grand Rose Hall in Jamaica and the Iberostar Selection Anthelia on Tenerife in the Canary Islands.

The Iberostar Beachfront Resorts collection will add to IHG’s existing 260 resorts, which are flagged under the group’s Six Senses, Regent, InterContinental, Kimpton, Hotel Indigo, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Club Vacations brands. 

According to IHG, the company currently has less than 20 resorts in the countries where Iberostar Beachfront Resorts are located, with IHG touting the fact that the Iberostar tie-up “significantly increases and broadens IHG’s resort footprint.”

Iberostar Beachfront Resorts, which will be active within the IHG One Rewards loyalty program, is the 18th flag in IHG’s brand portfolio. The concept will sit within a newly created IHG brand category called Exclusive Partners, which will exist alongside IHG’s Suites, Essentials, Premium, and Luxury & Lifestyle categories.

“Guests have told us of their wish for increased choice of resort and all-inclusive destinations within our brand portfolio,” IHG Hotels & Resorts CEO Keith Barr said in a statement, adding that IHG plans to “explore further opportunities for growth with exclusive partners.”

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