The Crowne Plaza Hyderabad, 250 keys by the airport in 2031: IHG signs four hotels in India in a month

In the space of a month, IHG has signed four hotels in India, and the largest is Hyderabad’s first Crowne Plaza: 250 keys next to the airport, due in the first quarter of 2031. The deal, signed on 26 October 2026 with AR Infra Consultancy, joins a voco, a Holiday Inn and a Holiday Inn Resort, all slated for 2031. The group already has 53 hotels open in the country and 110 in the pipeline.

☰Contents

1. Hyderabad’s first Crowne Plaza
2. Beside an airport serving 31 million passengers
3. Five restaurants and bars, an 800 m² ballroom
4. Who is AR Infra Consultancy?
5. Four hotels signed in India in a month
6. IHG in India: 53 open, 110 in the pipeline

Hyderabad’s first Crowne Plaza

The Crowne Plaza Hyderabad Shamshabad Airport Road will be operated by IHG under a management agreement with AR Infra Consultancy, which owns the project. It will have 250 keys, including 37 suites, and will bring the brand to the city, where the group already runs two Holiday Inn Express hotels. Crowne Plaza, with more than 400 hotels worldwide, belongs to IHG’s Premium collection rather than its Luxury and Lifestyle tier: our ranking of IHG’s 21 brands sets out the hierarchy.

Shamshabad offers a compelling growth opportunity, according to Sudeep Jain, IHG’s managing director for South West Asia, who points to the proximity of the airport and the area’s new commercial infrastructure.

Beside an airport serving 31 million passengers

The hotel will rise on Shamshabad Airport Road, beside Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, which handled around 31 million passengers in 2025. Its neighbours will also include a forthcoming World Trade Centre of 3.5 million square feet (about 325,000 m²) and the Aeronautical Park, an expanding aerospace business park.

IHG is targeting transit passengers, business travellers, meetings and events, extended stays and the teams working on the area’s industrial projects. The exact address has not yet been released, and no images of the hotel have been published. IHG is not alone in betting on India’s airports: the Taj brand is set to open at three of the country’s airports.

Five restaurants and bars, an 800 m² ballroom

The hotel will have five places to eat and drink: a 187-seat all-day dining restaurant, a 65-seat speciality restaurant, a 65-seat bar, a 65-seat pool bar and a 55-seat lobby lounge.

For meetings, it will offer 1,170 m² across five rooms, including an 800 m² ballroom. A club lounge, a swimming pool, a fitness centre, a spa and parking complete the line-up; details of the spa have yet to be revealed.

Who is AR Infra Consultancy?

This is the owner’s first hotel project. AR Infra Consultancy comes from real estate and infrastructure in Telangana, Hyderabad’s home state, and in Andhra Pradesh, according to P. Revanth Reddy, who speaks for the company in IHG’s press release.

Four hotels signed in India in a month

The Crowne Plaza is no isolated case. Between 6 October and 3 November 2026, IHG announced four signings in India, from the pilgrimage town of Vrindavan to Sasan Gir, in Gujarat, the only natural habitat of the Asiatic lion. All four are targeting the first quarter of 2031.

Together, the four projects add up to 628 keys across four states. The Crowne Plaza is the largest, ahead of the Holiday Inn Raipur (156 keys), in a city IHG describes as an emerging business hub in Chhattisgarh.

IHG in India: 53 open, 110 in the pipeline

IHG has 53 hotels open in India under seven brands: Six Senses, InterContinental, Vignette Collection, Crowne Plaza, voco, Holiday Inn Resort and Holiday Inn Express. Vignette Collection arrived in August 2026 with The Aarlis Hotel, in Panchkula. The group says it has 110 hotels in the pipeline in the country, due within three to five years.

In Hyderabad, IHG is also developing a luxury hotel: the InterContinental Hyderabad Neopolis, in the Kokapet district, signed with Brigade Group in April 2024 for 300 rooms; its opening was then announced for 2029. Worldwide, the group claims 21 brands, more than 7,100 hotels in over 100 countries and 2,400 hotels in the pipeline.