In partnership with Plenary Group, IHG Hotels & Resorts will be bringing its Crowne Plaza brand to the Victorian regional city of Geelong.
The brand new 200-room Crowne Plaza Geelong will open in 2026, part of the Geelong Convention and Exhibition Centre precinct development project, which forms part of the Geelong City Deal, a collaborative plan by the Australian and Victorian governments and the City of Greater Geelong to transform the region. The redevelopment, which was unveiled last week, includes the construction of a purpose-built convention and exhibition space.
Connected to the convention and exhibition centre, facilities within the Crowne Plaza Geelong will include a restaurant, bar, pool and gym, as well as its own meeting spaces.
With the new 180-room Holiday Inn & Suites Geelong due to open in September this year, IHG is on track to be the largest global hotel operator in Geelong. Over the next 12 months, IHG will also be opening six new hotels in Greater Melbourne, under the Crowne Plaza, voco, Hotel Indigo and Holiday Inn brands.
Cameron Burke, IHG Hotels & Resorts’ director of development for Australasia and Pacific, said: “This is an incredibly exciting development, and we will be delighted to be part of a precinct that will become a crown jewel for the city of Geelong. The addition of Crowne Plaza to Geelong would help capture visitation from both corporate and leisure travellers alike and serve as a strong endorsement to the pipeline of growth opportunities we’re currently experiencing throughout metropolitan and regional markets.
“With the opening of Holiday Inn & Suites Geelong also imminent, we’re excited at the prospect of becoming the largest global operator in Geelong and to maintaining our accelerated growth trajectory across Australia.”
