IHG Hotels & Resorts will convert 14 Kyoto hotels totalling 1,063 rooms to its Garner and Holiday Inn Express brands under one of Japan's largest hotel portfolio deals.
Cover image: the Yasaka pagoda rising above traditional streets in Kyoto's Higashiyama district — photo by Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
IHG Hotels & Resorts has signed a deal to bring 14 Kyoto hotels totalling 1,063 rooms into its system — one of the largest hotel conversion portfolio deals Japan has seen in recent years. The agreement with long-term partner GCP Hospitality, the hotel arm of Gaw Capital Group announced in Tokyo on 24 August 2026, converts 12 hotels to IHG's midscale Garner brand plus one Holiday Inn Express and one unbranded property, with phased openings after renovation over the next 12 months. GCP will manage all 14 hotels, and the deal makes IHG one of the largest international hotel companies in Kyoto.
For travellers, the significance is simple: Kyoto is one of the world's most supply-starved hotel markets at peak season, and this deal pushes a large block of rooms into the affordable, internationally branded middle of the market — including, eventually, rooms bookable with IHG One Rewards points.
Which Kyoto hotels are joining IHG?
The 14 properties sit across Kyoto's key districts — around Kyoto Station, Shijo and Gojo — putting them within walking or one-stop range of the city's main cultural sites and transport hubs. They will be rebranded in phases as renovations complete, embedding Garner and Holiday Inn Express service standards. The signing also marks IHG's third Holiday Inn Express in Japan, following Holiday Inn Express Osaka City Centre – Midosuji and Holiday Inn Express Sapporo Susukino.
They join an existing Kyoto portfolio that already spans the luxury-to-essentials range: Six Senses Kyoto, ANA Crowne Plaza Kyoto, Holiday Inn Kyoto Gojo and Garner Hotel Kyoto Shijo Karasuma. With 14 more properties added, IHG leapfrogs most western rivals in a city where international groups have historically run only a handful of flagship properties.
Why Garner is IHG's growth bet in Japan
Garner is IHG's midscale conversion brand — designed to take existing hotels and rebrand them quickly rather than build new — and it is the fastest-scaling brand in the group's history, passing 100 open hotels since its August 2023 launch. IHG introduced it to Japan in 2025 with three hotels in Osaka, and the Kyoto portfolio deal is the brand's first multi-hotel agreement in the country.
The strategic logic is Japan's business-hotel segment: thousands of efficient, high-standard rooms run almost entirely by domestic operators, with minimal international-brand presence. Abhijay Sandilya, IHG's Managing Director for Japan & Micronesia and CEO of IHG ANA Hotels Group Japan, said the segment is "underpenetrated by international brands" and that owners are drawn to "quick access to IHG's leading enterprise, including our marketing, technology and distribution platforms, and the scale of IHG One Rewards globally." GCP Hospitality CEO Erwann Mahé called the agreement a "historic portfolio agreement" that positions the portfolio for "one of Japan's most important tourism markets."
What the deal means for travellers visiting Kyoto
Kyoto's hotel market has been squeezed by record inbound tourism — Japan logged a record July for arrivals even as Chinese arrivals dipped, as we covered in our July visitor-record report — and mid-market rooms routinely sell out months ahead during cherry-blossom and autumn-foliage seasons. A 1,063-room block of internationally branded, midscale inventory is exactly the segment the city lacks.
Three practical notes for anyone booking:
- Timing: conversions open in phases over the next 12 months, so the full 1,063-room count lands progressively through late 2026 and 2027.
- Renovation reality: properties being converted may be partially offline or under refurbishment — check recent reviews and room condition before booking an early-phase opening.
- Points strategy: once the hotels are live in IHG One Rewards, expect award availability to be competitive in peak weeks; our guide to Japan's tourist taxes covers the other costs to budget for a Kyoto stay.
The deal also extends a broader pattern of global hotel groups scaling fast in Asia's tourism hotspots, from IHG's Kyoto push to the Ritz-Carlton Reserve opening on Shanghai's North Bund — branded supply is following the region's visitor records.
How big is IHG's push into Japan?
Globally, IHG operates more than 7,000 hotels with over one million rooms across 21 brands, a development pipeline of around 2,400 properties, and an IHG One Rewards programme with more than 160 million members. Japan has become one of its fastest-growing markets on the back of record inbound tourism, with the Kyoto signing following the Garner launch in Osaka and continued Holiday Inn Express expansion. Sandilya said IHG is "just starting to tap into Garner's full growth potential in Japan" and is "ready to work on more portfolios" — a signal that further multi-hotel conversion deals are likely in other Japanese cities.
Frequently asked questions
How many hotels is IHG adding in Kyoto?
Fourteen hotels with a combined 1,063 rooms join IHG through the agreement with GCP Hospitality: 12 convert to the Garner brand, one to Holiday Inn Express, and one joins unbranded, with phased openings over the 12 months following the 24 August 2026 signing.
Who manages the new IHG Kyoto hotels?
GCP Hospitality, the hospitality arm of Gaw Capital Group, has been appointed to lead the management team across all 14 hotels, supported by IHG's brand, distribution and loyalty platforms.
When can I book the Garner hotels in Kyoto?
Conversions open in phases after renovation over the next 12 months, so individual properties will come online at different times through late 2026 and 2027. Bookings typically open property by property as each rebrand completes.
Will the Kyoto hotels be bookable with IHG One Rewards points?
Yes — once each hotel completes conversion and joins IHG's system it becomes bookable through IHG One Rewards, adding a large block of midscale award inventory to a city where peak-season rooms are scarce.
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