British multinational hotels company, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has announced the opening of its new Holiday Inn in Mutare, Zimbabwe, reports Trade Arabia.

The franchised property, owned by African Sun Limited, features 96 rooms, an outdoor pool and a meeting room capable of seating 250 people. It is located in the heart of the city centre with significant business activity across the forestry, citrus farming and mining industries.

The Holiday Inn Mutare is the third Holiday Inn franchised property with the African Sun Limited. The other two are the Holiday Inn Harare and Holiday Inn Bulawayo. The new Holiday Inn property in Mutare increases IHG and Africa Sun’s footprint to a total of 351 rooms.

Across the Middle East and Africa there are 31 Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts open and an additional 9 properties due to open within the next three to five years. Globally, there are almost 1,200 Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts open, with a further 265 due to open in the next three to five years.

Mutare is positioned in the diamond mining region of Zimbabwe, and close to the Tete Province, a coal mining region in Mozambique. Zimbabwe imports machinery, electrical and electronic equipment from the UAE, and its largest exports are in the diamond industry.