IHG Hotels & Resorts announced on 2 September the opening of the Crowne Plaza Manhattan Times Square, positioned as the brand’s new flagship for the Americas. Located in the heart of Manhattan, the property embodies the reinvention of the Crowne Plaza premium experience, designed for travellers who blend business, leisure and personal time within a single stay. Half of the brand’s global estate is now new or recently renovated, and this opening marks a further step in that renewal drive.
A strategic location in the heart of Manhattan
The 22-storey hotel breathes new life into a landmark New York building, originally constructed for the 1964 World’s Fair. It sits just steps from Times Square, Rockefeller Center, the Broadway Theatre District and Central Park, placing guests at the crossroads of business, culture and entertainment.
The property offers 685 rooms with city views, alongside spaces designed for work, connection and relaxation. IHG is thereby strengthening its footprint in a fiercely competitive New York market, just months after the opening of the first Hyatt Regency in Times Square.
ARTIC and Highgate, architects of the transformation
The project was developed by Al Rayyan Tourism Investment Company (ARTIC), a Qatari hospitality investment firm, with operations entrusted to Highgate. Tarek M. El Sayed, Managing Director and CEO of ARTIC, said the group’s ambition was to transform this heritage site into a distinctive destination combining contemporary design, functionality and an enhanced guest experience. He noted that ARTIC invests with a long-term outlook, aiming to continually strengthen the competitive positioning of its assets and create lasting value, adding that the United States remains, in his view, a key market for the group’s growth and diversification.
ARTIC has recently been linked to another deal tracked by LTH, with the sale of the W London for £260 million, illustrating an active portfolio arbitration strategy across its international hotel holdings. On the operations side, Highgate confirms its role as a go-to partner for investors in the New York market, just weeks after Pete Sams’s appointment to the group’s presidency, at a company with more than 500 properties.
An offering calibrated for the hybrid traveller
The property is centred around Fifty-First Street Social, a bar and restaurant offering all-day dining directly accessible from the street. A 24-hour Marketplace rounds out the offering with grab-and-go products and everyday essentials for travellers on the move.
The brand’s programming includes weekly events bringing together guests and neighbourhood residents around destination-inspired dining, along with daily morning and evening rituals ranging from wellness offerings to sleep-enhancing recommendations. For business travellers, the hotel offers flexible meeting spaces along with a dedicated event concierge service.
On the upper floors, the Manhattan Level features spacious suites and rooms designed with a residential feel, offering unobstructed skyline views. At the top of the property, the Broadway Suite occupies the 22nd floor with a terrace designed for events and special occasions.
A signal for the brand’s global strategy
Ginger Taggart, Vice President, Brand Management – Global Premium Brands at IHG Hotels & Resorts, said this new flagship marks a defining moment for Crowne Plaza. She noted that every aspect of the guest experience was shaped by the group’s New Modern design philosophy, from flexible social spaces to signature experiences meeting the expectations of a new generation of guests, adding that the opening opens, in her words, a new chapter in the brand’s global growth.
Crowne Plaza now counts more than 400 open hotels worldwide and a pipeline of nearly 150 properties. The brand plans to add more than 36,000 rooms in the coming years, growing its global footprint by more than 35%. This expansion is accompanied by developments across several regions, including the planned opening of the Crowne Plaza Katowice in Poland, which confirms the renewal and densification strategy IHG is pursuing across its entire Crowne Plaza portfolio.
At a glance by The Hospitality Tribune
IHG opens Crowne Plaza Americas flagship in Times Square
Crowne Plaza Manhattan Times Square opened September 2, 2026, as the brand’s new Americas flagship
685-room, 22-story hotel developed by Al Rayyan Tourism Investment Company (ARTIC), managed by Highgate
Building originally constructed for the 1964 New York World’s Fair
Half of Crowne Plaza’s global estate is now new or recently renovated
Brand counts 400+ open hotels worldwide, a pipeline of nearly 150 properties, and an expected addition of over 36,000 rooms
