IHG will be bringing its HI brand for the first time to the Russian Federation's second city, St Petersburg, with the opening of new two hotels in 2009.

A franchise contract was recently signed between IHG and Light Road LLC to open a newly constructed 480 room hotel; Holiday Inn St Petersburg-Moskovsky Prospect.

This hotel will be built close to Moskovsky Vorota Square, in a thriving business and commercial area of the city. Midway between the city centre and the airport, it will offer convenient and comfortable accommodation for both business travellers as well as leisure guests, with a focus on attracting the large number of touring groups to the city.

The hotel will offer all the amenities expected from the Holiday Inn brand including four restaurants, six bars, a swimming pool and billiard room, as well as 3000 square metres (six rooms) of meeting space and extensive parking facilities.

To complement this hotel and strengthen its presence in the city, IHG has also signed a second Holiday Inn franchise agreement with ADC Group Company Ltd, to open a 129 room Holiday Inn hotel. Set to open in late 2009, it will offer accommodation in the heart of the tourist area, Ligovsky, just 100m from St Petersburg's main street, Nevsky Prospekt.

The newly developed hotel, restored from an office building, will offer a restaurant, bar, fitness centre with sauna, three meeting rooms as well as some garage parking spaces. It is anticipated that it will attract business travellers wanting a central base, as well as the increasing numbers of leisure tourists attracted by the wealth of stunning architecture and historical heritage including the Pushkin Palace and the Hermitage.

Robin Wicks, chief operating officer Holiday Inn brands Europe commented: "Our long-term strategy is to continue expanding and introducing our Holiday Inn brand throughout the Russian Federation, and following the recent opening of our fourth Holiday Inn in Moscow, it is great news that we will now be introducing the brand in St Petersburg, the Federation's second most important city.

With the addition of 609 internationally branded rooms in the city, these two Holiday Inn hotels will help meet the accommodation needs of a burgeoning number of visitors coming to St Petersburg."