Above: Medellin

By the Caribbean Journal staff

InterContinental Hotels Group is expanding its presence in Colombia.

IHG announced the signing of a new-build Crowne Plaza project in the Colombian city of Medellin.

The 199-room project will be located in the city’s “El Poblado” neighbourhood in one of the towers of the Palmanova mixed-use development.

It will be the company’s third property in the city; IHG has nine hotels and seven more in development in Colombia, including two set to open in 2015 on the Caribbean coast in Cartagena and Barranquilla.

“Colombia is an important market for IHG in Latin America,” said Joel Eisemann, chief development officer, the Americas at IHG. “We are extremely enthused about this Crowne Plaza project, which will feature a modern design that is in line with the new, fresh image and direction in which the Crowne Plaza brand is going.”

Overall, IHG has 88 hotels in the Latin America and Caribbean region and 27 more in the development pipeline.