IHG grows Holiday Inn in Japan

Hiroshi Nakamura and Abhijay Sandilya © IHG
IHG brings Holiday Inn to Sanda and Tosu, marking the first international hotels in both cities with openings set for 2026

IHG Hotels & Resorts has announced plans to bring its renowned Holiday Inn brand to Sanda and Tosu, with openings scheduled for 2026. The partnership, formed with FET SYSTEM INC, will see the current Celecton Premier Kobe Sanda Hotel and Hotel Bientos rebranded and renovated as ANA Holiday Inn Kobe Sanda and ANA Holiday Inn Tosu, respectively.

The Holiday Inn experience

Extensive renovations will deliver key Holiday Inn hallmarks, including the celebrated Open Lobby concept. The Kobe Sanda property, set amidst natural surroundings 40 kilometers (24 miles) north of Kobe, will offer panoramic views and serve as a community hub with meeting and event spaces. (Just don’t try to climb Mount Sanda without checking out—you might miss breakfast.)

Meanwhile, ANA Holiday Inn Tosu, located just 30 kilometers (18 miles) from Fukuoka and a five-minute walk from Tosu Station, is positioned to meet the city’s growing corporate demand while providing easy access to local attractions, shops, and restaurants.

A growing portfolio 

Abhijay Sandilya, Managing Director, Japan and Micronesia, IHG Hotels & Resorts and CEO of IHG ANA Hotels Group Japan, said, “Building on our successful partnership with FET SYSTEM INC is another wonderful milestone in our growth journey, and together we are celebrating the addition of two new ANA Holiday Inn hotels into the IHG system. In Japan and globally, demand for quick-to-market conversions to IHG’s brands and enterprise platform continues to be high. Globally conversions represented around 60% of our openings and 40% of organic signings in the first quarter of 2025.”

This collaboration marks another step in IHG’s rapid expansion across Japan, where the company currently operates 54 hotels across 10 brands and has 17 more in the pipeline. The two new ANA Holiday Inn properties will join a family of 15 open and planned Holiday Inn hotels in Japan, contributing to the brand’s global footprint of 1,241 open hotels and 273 in development.

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