IHG to Bring Crowne Plaza Brand to Hyderabad with 250-Room Airport Hotel

Hyderabad’s growing airport corridor is set to welcome a new premium hotel, with IHG Hotels & Resorts planning to introduce its Crowne Plaza brand in the city through a 250-room development at Shamshabad.

The hotel group signed a management agreement with AR Infra Consultancy on October 19, 2026, for the proposed hotel on Shamshabad Airport Road, close to Rajiv Gandhi International Airport. The property is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2031 and will mark Crowne Plaza’s entry into Hyderabad.

The development comes as Shamshabad attracts increasing commercial and infrastructure investment. Its proximity to the airport, the proposed 3.5 million sq ft World Trade Centre and the expanding Aeronautical Park is expected to support demand for accommodation from business travellers, corporate visitors and event organisers.

Rajiv Gandhi International Airport handled approximately 31 million passengers in 2025, according to IHG. Alongside passenger traffic, the area’s aerospace and industrial parks, logistics facilities and mixed-use developments are expected to create additional demand for business hospitality.

The planned Crowne Plaza hotel will have 250 rooms, including 37 suites. Its food and beverage offering will comprise five outlets: an all-day dining restaurant with 187 seats, a bar and a speciality restaurant with 65 seats each, a 65-seat pool bar and a 55-seat lobby lounge.

Meeting and event facilities will span 1,170 square metres across five venues, including an 800-square-metre ballroom. Other planned amenities include a club lounge, swimming pool, fitness centre, spa and parking facilities. The combination is intended to serve corporate meetings, social events and airport-related stays.

For AR Infra Consultancy, the project represents its first move into the hospitality sector. The company has previously focused on real estate and infrastructure in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Its partnership with IHG brings an international hotel operator into its planned expansion into the sector.

The agreement also strengthens IHG’s presence in Hyderabad, where its portfolio includes two operational Holiday Inn Express hotels and an InterContinental hotel under development.

Across India, IHG operates 53 hotels under seven brands and has a pipeline of 110 additional properties expected to open over the next three to five years. The Hyderabad project adds to that expansion strategy, while highlighting Shamshabad’s emerging role as a destination for business travel and hospitality investment.

The hotel’s planned opening remains several years away, with its eventual contribution dependent on the continued development of the surrounding commercial and infrastructure corridor.