IHG Hotels expands to Türkiye with new Garner location

IHG Hotels & Resorts (IHG) has recently announced the signing of its first hotel in Turkey under the Garner brand. The franchise agreement was made with FRT Turizm, with support from AB Consulting led by Ahmet Bilgin. The 126-guestroom hotel will comprise four separate buildings and will open in 2025. This signing took place just one month after IHG's Turkish Investor Day, where the Garner brand was introduced to the market.

Garner is IHG’s new brand in the midscale conversion space. It builds on the company’s leading position in the Mainstream segment and its success in launching and growing conversion brands. The brand's popularity has grown worldwide among hotel owners, with 79 signings and four openings since its launch. The brand allows investors to generate more substantial returns thanks to its extremely competitive conversion cost per key, flexible design standards to accommodate unique footprints, and an ability to reduce pre-opening costs by quickly moving to operational and now-open status.

Each Garner property also benefits from quick access to IHG’s enterprise to support throughout the lifecycle of the hotel. This includes its digital capabilities, global sales organisation, award-winning distribution systems, and loyalty programme, IHG One Rewards – which now has over 130 million members.

The brand is dedicated to offering guests a unique and relaxed stay experience at an unbeatable price. It aims to meet guests' expectations by providing the amenities they value most, such as a convenient location, comfortable accommodations, 24/7 access to satisfying snacks at the Garner Shop, and a delicious breakfast.

The hotel will be ideal for transient guests because it is close to the new International Istanbul Airport—the seventh busiest airport in the world, welcoming over 64.3 million passengers yearly—and the brand promises to deliver ‘easygoing stays that get you on your way’.

STATEMENTS

Willemijn Geels, Vice President, Development, Europe, IHG Hotels & Resorts, commented: “With the first Garner hotel being signed just one month after we introduced the brand to our Turkish investors, it is promising to see the continued confidence our owners have in IHG’s brands. This remarkable achievement would not have been possible without our trusting relationship with FRT Turizm and the support of Ahmet Bilgin and his company AB Consulting. This will be the second property we open together in 2025 alongside Holiday Inn Express Istanbul Airport Arnavutkoy district, Istanbul.

I’m confident our Garner brand will continue to grow as more owners across Türkiye and the continent understand the flexibility and strong returns, backed by IHG’s powerful enterprise, that the brand offers.”

Fırat Çelebi and Vedat Çelebi, board members of FRT Turizm, said: “Hearing about the Garner brand during IHG’s Investor Day, we knew it would seamlessly fit into our location in Arnavutkoy. We look forward to welcoming travellers to the first Garner in Türkiye once we open our doors next year and becoming the first choice for all transit guests looking for a quick, convenient stay before heading to the airport.”

Türkiye remains a critical IHG market, operating 31 open hotels across five brands (Six Senses, InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, and the Holiday Inn brand family) and having a pipeline of 12 hotels.