Moscow, Russia- InterContinental Hotels Group, (IHG) which owns hotels such as Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza and HUALUXE has announced it will soon be ceasing all its operations in the country.
The move to stop operations in the country is a step beyond the prior plans to halt investments and development activity, announced at the outbreak of the Ukraine-Russia war in February, and subsequent discussions with owners in April.
“We are now in the process of ceasing all operations in Russia consistent with evolving United Kingdom, the United States and European Union sanction regimes and the ongoing as well as increasing challenges of operating there. As we do this, we continue to remain focused on supporting our teams in Russia and in Ukraine, in line with our commitment to care for our people and the communities in which we operate,” read a statement from IHG.
Major cities serviced by the group’s hotels include Moscow, St. Petersburg, Voronezh, Samara, Chelyabinsk, Krasnodar, Perm, Ufa, and Kaliningrad.
The hotel chain manages, franchises, and leases hotels in the Americas, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Greater China.
Apart from Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza and HUALUXE, the company operates hotels under the Six Senses, Regent, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Vignette Collection, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, Hotel Indigo, EVEN Hotels, Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, avid, Staybridge Suites, Atwell Suites, Candlewood Suites and voco.
Prior to yesterday’s announcement, IHG had already suspended its Moscow headquarters in March.
IHG is not the first hotel chain to quit Russia amid Western sanctions. Marriott and Hilton made similar announcements earlier this year, while many other international companies also suspended operations or quit Russia entirely under sanctions pressure, including restaurants, store chains, clothing brands, banks, and tech and energy companies.
