IHG To Open Crowne Plaza Hotel in Geelong, Australia, in 2026

IHG is ramping up its presence in Australia by announcing a new Crowne Plaza hotel in Geelong.

Here’s what you need to know.

IHG Says It Will Become Geelong’s Largest Hotel Chain

The Crowne Plaza Geelong will have 200 rooms and suites once completed. It will be part of the Geelong Convention and Exhibition Centre, which will feature a 1,000-seat venue, meeting spaces, and public space.

The hotel will have several restaurants and bars, a pool, a gym, and meeting spaces separate from the main convention center.

Geelong is located southwest of Melbourne and is about an hour’s drive or train ride away from the city of ~5 million people. The hotel is expected to welcome guests in 2026, though no exact open date has been announced at this time.

“This is an incredibly exciting development, and we will be delighted to be part of a precinct that will become a crown jewel for the city of Geelong,” said Cameron Burke, IHG Hotels & Resorts Director of Development for Australasia and Pacific, in a statement.

“The addition of Crowne Plaza to Geelong would help capture visitation from both corporate and leisure travelers alike and serve as a strong endorsement to the pipeline of growth opportunities we’re currently experiencing throughout metropolitan and regional markets,” the statement continued.

IHG says the chain is on track to be Geelong’s largest hotel operator. In addition to the Crowne Plaza coming in 2026, the 180-room Holiday Inn & Suites Geelong is expected to open in September 2023.

IHG has bolstered its presence across Victoria, a state in southeast Australia, in recent years. Three IHG hotels have opened in the greater Melbourne area, including Holiday Inn Dandenong earlier this year, InterContinental Sorrento in 2022, and Holiday Inn Werribee in 2021.

The chain says 6 hotels under the Crowne Plaza, voco, Hotel Indigo, and Holiday Inn brands will open in the Melbourne region next year.

Booking IHG Hotels in Australia

While we wait for the Crowne Plaza Geelong to open, you can still book other IHG One Rewards hotels across Australia with points or cash. These include some high-end hotels, such as the newly-renovated InterContinental Sydney, which starts at 43,000 IHG One Rewards points per night.

IHG One Rewards points are relatively easy to earn by spending on co-branded IHG credit cards or by transferring points in from other loyalty programs. The hotel chain offers 3 co-branded IHG credit cards — 2 personal and 1 business credit card — issued by Chase. Even if you don’t have an IHG card, you can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards or Bilt Rewards points to IHG One Rewards at a 1:1 ratio.

Final Thoughts

We don’t know many details about the Crowne Plaza Geelong other than that it will open in 2026.

While we wait for this hotel to open, make sure to check out IHG’s other points hotels Down Under!