IHG continues its rapid expansion and development in the Russian Federation with the announcement of a new Crowne Plaza Hotel, due to open in St Petersburg in early 2009.

This agreement, signed between InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) and Rastor Investments Ltd, is the first Crowne Plaza in St Petersburg, following on from the launch of the Crowne Plaza brand in Moscow last year.

The hotel, situated in the heart of St Petersburg, will have 339 rooms and offer extensive facilities including two bars, two restaurants, a swimming pool and a gym. Business travellers can also take advantage of the hotel's 750m² of meeting space.

The Crowne Plaza St Petersburg will be housed in a historic, low-rise building in the Admiralteyski district of the city - one of St Petersburg's main shopping areas. In addition to the rooms and other hotel facilities, the property will boast a large covered atrium which will house retail space featuring shops, bars and restaurants.

Ideally positioned for both business and leisure travellers, the hotel is close to  both the tourist and business areas of this magnificent city. A number of historical and cultural attractions such as the Nikolskiy Catherdral and Usupovskiy Palace are close by and transport links to the hotel are also good, with two metro stations and railway stations just a short walk away.

Robin Wicks, IHG's Chief Operating Officer Europe, commented: "This project represents a unique opportunity to establish the Crowne Plaza brand in the city of St Petersburg. Russia is a strategic market for IHG; the strength of the Russian economy and increasing opportunities in this region have attracted hotel investors and operators, and raised the demand for international hotel brands such as Crowne Plaza."

IHG is already well established in the Russian Federation with four Holiday Inn hotels in Moscow providing 1290 rooms. This will soon be complemented by a strong presence in St Petersburg with the opening of the Crowne Plaza which, along with Holiday Inn Ligovsky Prospect and Holiday Inn Moscowsky Prospect, both due to open in 2008, will take the IHG room count in the city to 968.

Andrey Yakunin, Partner & Chief Financial Officer, Rastor Management Ltd also added:

"The city of St Petersburg is currently lacking in quality business and travel accommodation but an increasing number of international hotel chains are starting to come to the cultural capital of Russia. This new Crowne Plaza is not only contributing to a high standard of accommodation in St Petersburg but also means an architectural monument built in 1789 is being resurrected. Crowne Plaza will offer great new accommodation for the booming tourist industry by rebuilding and infusing life into one of the classic buildings of St Petersburg."