InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has signed a management agreement with Lao International Development Co. to open its first hotel InterContinental brand hotel in Laos.

Located in the city of Vientiane, the hotel will house a spa facility, but full spa details are not yet available.

Set to open in 2021, the new-build InterContinental Vientiane will join Crowne Plaza Vientiane to be the second hotel managed by IHG in Laos’s capital. The hotel will feature more than 400 bedrooms and will be located in the upcoming World Trade Centre – a mixed-use complex being developed by Lao International Development Co. slated to be the city’s commercial hub.

IHG vice president of operations Leanne Harwood said: “Thanks to its strategic location, InterContinental Vientiane is set to be positioned as one of the city’s most prominent hotels, which will welcome distinguished guests, such as visiting dignitaries and heads of states, as key government meetings are planned to take place in the adjoining conference centre.”

Harwood also noted the potential for growth in Laos, pointing to its five million international arrivals each year and future infrastructural and industrial developments underway.

Xiao Long, CEO of Lao International Development Co., echoed Harwood’s thoughts, saying that it’s an “exciting time to be investing in Laos,” and mentioning the Kunming-Vientiane-Bangkok Highway connecting China, Laos and Thailand and the upcoming high-speed rail project that will link China to Laos in the next few years.