IHG Agreement with Iberostar Adds 70 Beachfront Resorts
InterContinental Hotels and Iberostar Hotels & Resorts announced today a long‑term commercial agreement for resort and all-inclusive hotels. Iberostar is a family-run business based in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, with more than 65 years’ experience operating resorts in outstanding locations.
Through this strategic alliance, Iberostar will retain 100% ownership, preserving its autonomy. Up to 70 hotels (24.3k rooms) will be added to IHG’s system under the Iberostar Beachfront Resorts brand, which will become the 18th brand for IHG. This will boost IHG’s global system size by up to 3%. The first properties set to join the IHG system this December will give IHG guests increased choice in sought-after locations including Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Brazil and the Canary Islands (Spain). Further properties in Spain and other popular resort destinations in Southern Europe and North Africa are anticipated to join IHG’s system over the course of 2023 and 2024.
IHG guests will be able to look forward to memorable stays in award-winning hotels*, ranging from family friendly premium offerings to adult only luxury, in leading resort destinations, including: Iberostar Grand Paraiso (Riviera Maya, Mexico); Iberostar Selection Hacienda Dominicus (Bayahibe, Dominican Republic); Iberostar Grand Rose Hall (Montego Bay, Jamaica); and Iberostar Selection Anthelia (Tenerife, Spain). These add to IHG’s existing 260 resort properties that span brands including Six Senses, Regent, InterContinental, Kimpton, Hotel Indigo, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Club Vacations. IHG has fewer than 20 resort properties in the countries where the Iberostar Beachfront Resorts properties are located. The agreement therefore significantly increases and broadens IHG’s resort footprint.
The portfolio of Iberostar properties will gain access to IHG’s enterprise platform, including its distribution channels and the IHG One Rewards loyalty program with more than 100 million members. The Iberostar Beachfront Resorts brand will be included in a new Exclusive Partners category in IHG’s brand portfolio, which will sit alongside its Suites, Essentials, Premium and Luxury & Lifestyle categories.
Further details on the agreement and financial overview:
- The agreement gives IHG a licence to the Iberostar Beachfront Resorts brand. The agreement has an initial term of 30 years and the option to renew for additional terms of 20 years upon mutual agreement.
- The agreement is expected to add up to 24.3k rooms across 70 properties to IHG’s system over the next two years. Of these, 27 properties (8.2k rooms) still require additional approvals from third parties in order to join IHG. The total of up to 70 properties would be equivalent to growth of 2.8% on IHG’s global estate of 880.3k rooms at the start of 2022. The first rooms are expected to come into IHG’s system in December this year, with these representing approximately half of the total rooms subject to the overall agreement.
- The 70 properties are all beachfront resorts. They exclude Iberostar’s other operations, such as its smaller portfolio of urban hotels, and also exclude Iberostar’s interests in Cuba. The approximate geographic split of revenues from the selected portfolio of 70 hotels in 2019 was: Mexico 22%; Dominican Republic 13%; Jamaica 8%; Brazil 5%; Spain 40%; other EMEAA region locations 12%.
- A pipeline of six further Iberostar Beachfront Resorts properties, representing ~3k rooms, is also expected to be added to IHG’s pipeline. This pipeline will increase as IHG and Iberostar work together to grow the brand’s footprint through the long-term commercial agreement.
- The total gross revenue of the existing portfolio of 70 hotels was approximately $1.3bn in 2019, equivalent to growth of over 4% on IHG’s $27.9bn of total gross revenue. Under the agreement, IHG will receive marketing, distribution, technology and other fees in a manner similar to its existing asset light model.
- IHG’s fee structure will ramp-up over a period through to 2025 as the hotels increasingly integrate onto IHG’s platform. By 2027, representing year five of the agreement, annual revenue recognised within IHG’s fee business is expected to be in excess of $40m, with a broadly similar amount additionally recognised within System Fund revenues.
- Reflecting integration investment, the net impact on IHG’s operating profit from reportable segments is expected to be modestly negative in 2022 and 2023. It is then expected to turn positive in 2024, before ramping up significantly from 2025 with the final step up in the fee structure and the expected shift in distribution channel mix.