IHG Hotels & Resorts is turning one of its best-known South Pacific properties into a different brand. The company has signed a deal with Pacific Beachcomber to convert InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa into Regent Bora Bora. The resort closed on June 1, 2026, for renovations and is set to reopen in late 2027. It will be the first Regent property in French Polynesia.

The resort is located on a private motu on the eastern side of Bora Bora’s lagoon. It has 84 villas, all overwater, with views toward Mount Otemanu and the open Pacific. Under the Regent name, the property is expected to keep its overwater format while also showcasing the brand’s style of service and design.

What Changes Under the Regent Name

Regent Hotels & Resorts has a few features it applies across its properties, and these will now extend to Bora Bora. Guests can expect:

• Personal Havens, described as intimate spaces meant for quiet moments and indulgence.
• Regent Experience Agents, who act as a single point of contact for guests from before arrival until departure.
• With Compliments, the brand’s term for a set of inclusions built into the guest experience.

Rajit Sukumaran, Senior Vice President and Managing Director for East Asia and Pacific at IHG, said the deal is less about swapping brand names and more about the relationship between the two companies. He said, “Our shared vision will elevate one of the most iconic resorts in the South Pacific for the next generation of luxury travelers.

Richard Bailey, Founder and Chairman of Pacific Beachcomber, pointed to the partnership’s twenty-plus year history and said, “Bora Bora demands a very particular kind of luxury, one that respects the extraordinary natural environment and remains deeply connected to Polynesian culture. Regent’s understated and highly personalized approach is beautifully aligned with that vision, and we look forward to creating an experience that is both exceptional and authentically of this place.”

A Long Partnership, and an Old Cooling System

IHG and Pacific Beachcomber have worked together for more than two decades, and this conversion is being framed as a continuation of that relationship rather than a new venture. The resort has carried the InterContinental name for years, and its physical bones, including the overwater layout and the motu setting, will stay in place through the rebrand.

One detail being carried over is the resort’s seawater air-conditioning system. The property was the first hotel in the world to use this kind of system, which pulls cold water from deep in the Pacific Ocean to cool the building instead of relying on standard air conditioning. IHG says the setup cuts the electricity needed for cooling and refrigeration by about 90 percent. The system will keep running once the resort reopens as Regent Bora Bora.

The conversion adds to Regent’s list of properties around the world, which already includes hotels in Hong Kong, Santa Monica, Phu Quoc, Cannes, Shanghai, and Bali. Bora Bora will be a new addition to that group and the brand’s first entry into French Polynesia specifically.