InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), one of the world’s leading hotel companies, has opened Pune’s first Crowne Plaza.

The 173-room hotel will operate under a management agreement with The Advantage Raheja Group and has been rebranded from what was earlier branded Courtyard by Marriott.

The hotel will undergo an extensive refurbishment to upgrade guest rooms, public areas, restaurants and meeting spaces. Commencing June 2016, the refurbishment is anticipated to be complete in early 2017 and the hotel will remain fully operational during this time.

Shantha de Silva, Head of South West Asia, IHG, said, “Over the last few years, Pune has established itself as one of the key commercial hubs of the country and so is a great market for the hospitality industry. Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts has been recognised globally as a reputable meetings hotel brand for the last 30 years and is the perfect brand to meet the needs of corporate travellers and the growing MICE business in this city. We’re delighted to be partnering with the Advantage Raheja Group on this hotel and look forward to offering business ready services to our guests here.”

Deepak Bhagwandas Raheja, founder of The Advantage Raheja Group, added, “Pune is expanding along its eastern and western peripheries and gradually transforming into a major tech and biotech centre so it is the perfect destination to develop a quality hotel that caters to the needs of corporate travellers. We’re pleased to be developing a leading business branded hotel with a global player like IHG.”

IHG has 27 hotels open across four brands in India - InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express with 41 hotels in the pipeline as of March 31, 2016.

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