The 150,000-room milestone has been surpassed in Europe, with over 1,200 hotels opened or in development across around forty countries: the IHG group, already among the leading players in the hotel industry on the continent alongside Accor and Louvre Hotels, has further expanded its footprint there. Over the past three years, its offering in the region has increased by 27 % with the addition of nearly 33,000 rooms. In 2025, boosted by hotel investment at its highest level since the pandemic – according to Cushman & Wakefield, this reached €27 billion in Europe – the British group opened a record number of hotels, 102 in total. In parallel, IHG concluded 117 contracts, heralding an even more prolific future.
" Across Europe, IHG continues to build strong momentum by methodically developing its portfolio, commented Karin Sheppard, SVP & Managing Director Europe of IHG Hotels & Resorts. We are developing new and established brands in priority markets to strengthen our presence across the four segments ".
Among these key markets, just behind the British Isles, Germany stands out, ahead of France and Spain in the number of hotels opened or planned, with 242 establishments, compared to 84 and 81 respectively. The contribution of the master franchise agreement concluded with Novum Hospitality is not unrelated to this driving role, seeing over a hundred hotels transition to one or other of IHG's brands, its new mid-range brand Garner in particular, but also Candlewood Suites or Holiday Inn through the joint brand Holiday Inn – the niu. As a result, Germany represents both more than 20 % of the rooms offered by IHG in Europe, as well as nearly 20 % of its pipeline.
These figures are not solely down to the partnership with Novum Hospitality. Because, to strengthen its lifestyle offering, IHG has also acquired the high-end brand RubyFounded in Germany in 2013 and present in most major cities across the Rhine, Ruby has extended its reach throughout the DACH region, to Vienna, Geneva and Zurich, but also to London and Dublin, Rome and Amsterdam. Whilst waiting for Marseille, Berlin, Copenhagen and, further afield, the United States with a first address in Chicago next year.
If the integration of Ruby hotels has contributed to the growth of the British group's premium offering, as will the soon-to-be conversion of a Radisson in Marne-la-Vallée to the Crowne Plaza brand, IHG's Luxury & Lifestyle offering is driven by the recent opening of a Six Senses in London, the signing of an InterContinental in Prague at the end of last year, in addition to the continued growth of Kimpton and The Vignette Collection. The latter is expected to make its debut this year in the south of France, in Théoule sur Mer, with a future hotel that will feature the conjunction of two existing five stars, the Tiara Miramar and Tiara Yaktsa.
The Vignette Collection in the luxury segment, voco, or the new Noted Collection brand in the upper-midscale segment, and Garner for the mid-market segment, which debuted in the UK, Germany, Italy, and Turkey last year: IHG has several strengths in hand to support its expansion as « conversions play an increasingly decisive role in our growth, representing 84 % of room openings and 61 % of signings in Europe in 2025 ", stresses Karin Sheppard.
However, the Holiday Inn brand family, which accounts for over 60 % of IHG's European portfolio, remains the cornerstone of its offering, with the British group also able to rely on the expansion of long-stay brands from the United States such as Candlewood Suites, which is making its debut in Iceland, in Reykjavik, while Staybridge Suites has added Italy to its list of destinations with the Staybridge Suites Milan NoLo.
