Hospitality giant InterContinental Hotels Group has announced the unveiling of another new brand with a first signing for the Australia market.
It launched voco, a new upscale brand which will focus mostly on conversions.
The first outside of Europe has been announced for the Watermark Hotel & Spa Gold Coast, in Surfers Paradise, Australia.
The 388-room hotel offers two swimming pools and 800 sqm of meeting space.
It is soon to be acquired by IHG’s long-term Australian partner, SB&G, and will then be rebranded to voco, and relaunched in late 2018.
"We’ve talked about the significant growth opportunity we see for IHG in upscale and voco will help us deliver against this. We’ll work with owners of attractive properties, who appreciate the power and expertise that a global business can bring to the table," said IHG chief executive Keith Barr.
IHG already announced a deal to bring voco to the UK through a conditional agreement with Covivio, which will see 12 hotels and another in developemnt rebranded to voco.
The brand will be established first in the Europe, Middle East, Asia and Africa region before expanding to China and North America.
IHG expects to bring onboard up to 200 voco hotels in urban and leisure locations during the next decade.
