The property will be the largest hotel in Geelong and the first new hotel in the city in nearly 20 years.
 
IHG has signed a 20-year management agreement with Franzé Developments to open and operate the 190-key Holiday Inn and Suites Geelong, which will be the first Holiday Inn hotel in Australia to include a suites offering, with 40 suites intended for the longer stay segment.

Franzé Developments announced that it had acquired the central CBD site in April, highlighting plans to build Geelong's largest mixed-use development, including retail and office space, 24 modern residences, co-working space, and the Holiday Inn hotel.

The hotel itself will feature an all-day dining restaurant and bar, swimming pool, gym, parking and a 300 square metres of meeting facilities including a function room for 250 people.

Karin Sheppard, IHG's COO for Australasia and Japan, said: "We believe the joy of travel is for everyone, and it's that philosophy that's made the Holiday Inn brand family the largest in the world. It has certainly been a story of success for IHG here in Australasia, with 20 Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express hotels already open and 9 in the pipeline, mainly in large cities and airport locations. Now we are thrilled that forward-looking owners like Franzé Developments see even further opportunities for affordable, enjoyable hotels in satellite cities like Geelong."

Paul Franzé, founder and managing director at Franzé Developments, said: "Franzé Developments has been a leader in retail and commercial development in Melbourne for a number of years, and I'm now very excited to partner with IHG as we move into the hotel development space. Geelong welcomes around 2.2 million overnight visitors annually, but is dramatically underrepresented by quality hotels. The Holiday Inn brand is known and loved by travellers all around the world, so I can't imagine a better fit for a world-class city like Geelong. With a prime CBD location in close proximity to the station, hospital, university, offices and government entities, I am confident that Holiday Inn and Suites Geelong is going to be a story of success."