IHG Hotels & Resorts continues to expand its footprint in South-east Asia heading into 2027, anchoring its next wave of regional growth in Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam following a cycle of strong momentum across India and Greater China.
Bryan Chan, IHG’s vice president of development for South-east Asia & Korea, told TTGmice that “rising affluence is powering intra-regional and domestic travel demand” as five of the region’s major economies hit upper-middle income tiers and above, creating growth opportunities.
In Thailand, IHG currently operates 42 hotels with 39 more in development across Bangkok and Phuket. Indonesia follows with 35 open properties and 12 in the pipeline, including the Kimpton Suntaya Bali Ubud, which Chan indicated will “mark IHG’s debut in Bali’s cultural heart”.
Over in Vietnam, where the company holds 24 open hotels and 19 in development, growth is tracking quickly via recent voco and InterContinental openings. Malaysia is also accelerating with 13 open hotels and eight in the pipeline, featuring high-profile projects like the InterContinental Penang Resort, a conversion Chan said is a transformation of the former “grande dame” Mutiara Penang Resort.
To bypass crowded capital hubs, IHG is also keeping a keen eye on secondary and tertiary markets capable of supporting corporate meetings and incentive travel.
For instance, in Vietnam’s Ba Na Hills, the group is assembling a massive 2,000-room MICE ecosystem across upcoming Holiday Inn Resort, Crowne Plaza, and voco properties to “support Ba Na Hills as a go-to-destination for large scale regional events”. Additionally, a recent four-hotel deal with Vingroup will anchor Can Gio, a new satellite city in south-eastern Ho Chi Minh City, as a business and tourism hub.
“This reflects growing market demand for quality meetings and events infrastructure beyond major cities,” Chan said, pointing to similar entries like Crowne Plaza Labuan Bajo in Indonesia, and voco Kuching in Malaysia, which features one of the largest ballrooms in the city.
When asked about the Crowne Plaza, historically IHG’s foundational heavyweight for corporate groups, Chan shared: “We recently introduced scalable design solutions to broaden the brand’s appeal to guests, including three distinct zones in the rooms for work, relaxation and sleep, flexible public spaces that enable guests to move between work, social and downtime, and also meeting rooms that maximise flexibility, functionality and purpose.” The brand currently has 13 open hotels and 11 in the pipeline across South-east Asia.
To outpace competitors in a tight economic climate, IHG is relying heavily on asset conversions, which currently account for over half of its recent global openings. By leveraging existing brands like voco and a new midscale conversion brand, Garner, IHG allows independent owners to integrate into its global network with minimal friction.
“Conversions are an increasingly important growth driver, particularly in today’s environment where owners are looking for speed to market, lower capital investment and faster access to demand. The flexible model allows owners to retain the unique character and distinctive hotel experience while benefiting from IHG’s global scale, distribution and loyalty platform,” Chan said.
