According to figures from the International Air Transport Association, the Asia Pacific region, the InterContinental Hotels Group is forecast for massive growth in the coming years and bosses have celebrated their "fantastic achievement" in reaching the new milestone.

Rajit Sukumaran, the group’s SVP and managing director, East Asia and Pacific, said: "To hit 1,000 open hotels in Asia Pacific is a fantastic achievement for IHG in one of the most dynamic regions in the world. We’re seizing the great long-term opportunities by investing in our brands, delivering great returns for our owners, and driving growth in our markets."

Earlier this year, it was revealed that the company is taking its new midscale conversion brand Garner to Japan.

The multi-national hotel chain is behind brands like The Holiday Inn and The Crowne Plaza as well as several others and launched the mid-range conversion brand into the mix in 2023 and is now projecting that following its launch in Japan, it will reach 1,000 more hotels in the next 20 years.

Once open, the hotels would embrace the Garner ethos and deliver the all-important things guests value most - a convenient location, welcome amenity on arrival, a sound night’s sleep, Wi-Fi and digital check-in where available – all at a quality and price that’s hard to find.

Elie Maalouf, CEO, IHG Hotels. Resorts, commented on the partnership: "The first Garner LOI signing outside of North America is a significant milestone for the brand, and one we are very excited about. Japan is well-known for its high-quality domestic midscale hotels, and we think Garner is the perfect brand to help take them to a global stage with IHG’s powerful systems, world-class technology, market leading operations support and award-winning IHG One Rewards loyalty program. I’m proud to be here in Japan to mark this announcement, and would like to thank the ownership group for their confidence in the future of Japanese tourism, as well as for their faith in IHG and the new Garner brand.”