INTERCONTINENTAL Hotels Group (IHG) announced the opening of Holiday Inn Abu Dhabi Downtown, the second Holiday Inn hotel and the sixth IHG hotel in the UAE capital alone.

Located in the very heart of the city, leisure and business travellers alike will benefit from the hotel’s central location. Abu Dhabi Corniche is just steps away and the hotel is also close to some of the emirate’s best shopping centres. The hotel offers a complementary shuttle bus to Abu Dhabi’s public beach as well as to Al Wahda Mall and Marina Mall. For business travellers, the hotel is close to the capital’s commercial and business districts and just a short drive to the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec).

Holiday Inn Abu Dhabi Downtown offers guests a warm welcome, friendly service and modern facilities at excellent value. The 257-room hotel features a rooftop swimming pool, a fully equipped gymnasium and sauna, and business travellers will be able to make use of the 24-hour business centre, complete with conferencing technology. The hotel’s Al Bateen banqueting and conference room can accommodate a range of requirements from seated dinners and cocktail receptions to theatre and boardroom meetings.

The hotel’s all-day dining restaurant, La Piazza, serves a variety of cuisines in a modern and relaxed setting, along with a family-friendly brunch on every Friday. At Chequers Bar and Restaurant, guests can enjoy a selection of dishes while being entertained by the live band. Guests can also choose from Asian cuisine and cocktails at Tipar Bar and Restaurant or traditional English pub treats at the locally acclaimed Harvesters Pub, which offers a regular live band and DJ, televised sports and a weekly pub quiz.

Pascal Gauvin, chief operating officer for India, Middle East and Africa, IHG, says, “Abu Dhabi continues to be a key market for us as it continues its sustained growth, welcoming an increasing number of both leisure and business travellers and we are delighted to welcome Holiday Inn Abu Dhabi Downtown to the IHG family here. Holiday Inn is one of the world’s best known hotel brands and we’re confident that guests of the hotel will be treated to the friendliness, comfort and warm experience that the brand has been known for over the last 62 years.”

This hotel, which was converted from what was the Sands Hotel, will become IHG’s 18th hotel in the UAE, and joins five other IHG properties in the capital, including Holiday Inn Abu Dhabi. There are more than 1,200 Holiday Inn hotels around the world, with another 268 in the global pipeline.