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Formule 1 to Holiday Inn Express Brand Conversion Programme

ConversionIndiaAscentis 360Completed

Formule 1 was Accor’s budget hotel brand in India, designed for simple stays at competitive prices. These hotels offered compact rooms (~14m²) and no in-house F&B facilities. In contrast, Holiday Inn Express, part of IHG, sits in the mid-scale segment with a focus on modern design, comfort, and guest amenities, including restaurants and common spaces. 

When SAMHI Hotels acquired the Formule 1 portfolio, they appointed Ascentis to lead the conversion into Holiday Inn Express hotels. The challenge was to elevate the product offering while working within the constraints of the existing structures.

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Scope of Work

Each property required a new all-day dining facility, which meant re-planning ground floors and back-of-house spaces originally not designed for F&B operations. 

The 14m² Formule 1 rooms had to be adapted to meet IHG’s Holiday Inn Express standards (normally 22m²). This required several rounds of design iterations and prototype rooms for IHG to approve. 

Interiors were re-designed to include all brand-standard amenities—work desks, smart bathrooms, and contemporary finishes, without compromising comfort. 

Projects ran in parallel across 9 cities, requiring coordination of design, procurement, and project management within compressed timelines. The renovations for Holiday Inn Express hotels in Kolkata, Greater Noida and Bangalore began and ended in 2024. 

Each conversion was completed in less than 12 months, ensuring rapid relaunch of the assets into the market. 

Outcomes

  • Successfully converted 12 Formule 1 hotels into Holiday Inn Express properties:
    Ahmedabad, Banjara Hills Hyderabad, Chennai, Gurgaon, Hinjewadi, HiTec Hyderabad, Nashik, Tumkur (Bangalore), Whitefield (Bangalore), Greater Noida, Kolkata, and Bangalore 
  • Raised the average room rate significantly by repositioning the assets from budget to mid-scale. 
  • Delivered consistent guest experience across all locations, strengthening IHG’s footprint in India. 
  • Demonstrated the value of innovative design and disciplined execution in unlocking new revenue streams from existing real estate.