Photo • Rajit Sukumaran and Richard Bailey mark the signing of Regent Bora Bora at Regent Hong Kong @credit IHG
IHG Hotels & Resorts announced on 16 September 2026, from Sydney, the signing of an agreement with Pacific Beachcomber to transform the InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa into Regent Bora Bora. Closed since 1 June 2026 for extensive renovation, the property will reopen under its new banner in late 2027. It will be the first Regent-branded hotel in French Polynesia, an island destination previously absent from the group’s portfolio.
Located on a private motu on the eastern side of the Bora Bora lagoon, the 84-villa resort will offer an entirely overwater experience, with direct lagoon access and views of Mount Otemanu and the Pacific Ocean. The transformation is designed to bring Regent’s contemporary upper-upscale luxury identity to the property, with personalised service, an immersive dining offer and architecture conceived to reflect Polynesian culture.
A partnership spanning more than two decades
Rajit Sukumaran, Senior Vice President & Managing Director, East Asia & Pacific, at IHG Hotels & Resorts, notes that Bora Bora is a naturally fitting luxury destination for the Regent brand. He explains that the significance of this signing lies less in the brand conversion itself than in the renewed trust between Pacific Beachcomber and IHG, a partnership designed to underpin the resort’s long-term repositioning.
Richard Bailey, founder and chairman of Pacific Beachcomber, recalls that the collaboration with IHG spans more than twenty years. He states that Bora Bora calls for a particular form of luxury, respectful of its natural environment and Polynesian culture, an approach he considers consistent with Regent’s discreet, personalised philosophy.
Regent brand codes rolled out at the property
The future Regent Bora Bora will carry the brand’s distinctive signatures, including Personal Havens, intimate spaces designed for moments of retreat; Regent Experience Agents, who provide a single point of contact from pre-stay through departure; and the With Compliments programme, Regent’s approach to included amenities. Regent Kyoto, which broke ground in 2025 for an opening scheduled in 2028, reflects this same renewal drive being pursued by the brand globally.
The resort will thus join a rapidly expanding Regent portfolio, alongside properties in Hong Kong, Cannes, Shanghai, Phu Quoc and Bali. In the United States, the brand has also begun its comeback with the opening of Regent Santa Monica Beach, confirming the selective geographic approach IHG has stated for the brand.
A preserved environmental innovation
The resort’s transformation retains one of its most distinctive sustainability features. The property was the first hotel in the world to implement a seawater air-conditioning system, drawing naturally cold water from the depths of the Pacific to cool the buildings. This system has cut the electricity normally required for air-conditioning and refrigeration by around 90%.
This system will continue to operate under the future Regent Bora Bora, preserving one of the site’s most significant innovations as it enters its new chapter. The signing also comes amid broader change across French Polynesia’s hotel landscape, where several properties in the archipelago, including Conrad Bora Bora Nui, have recently undergone changes in governance or positioning.
At a glance by The Hospitality Tribune
IHG and Pacific Beachcomber sign Regent Bora Bora
InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa closed 1 June 2026 for full renovation
Reopening as Regent Bora Bora scheduled for late 2027
First Regent-branded hotel in French Polynesia, an 84-villa overwater resort on a private motu
Retains the property’s seawater air-conditioning system, cutting related electricity use by around 90%
Joins a growing Regent portfolio including Hong Kong, Cannes, Shanghai, Phu Quoc, Bali and Santa Monica
