New $32m upgrade announced for InterContinental Adelaide hotel

The InterContinental hasn’t had a refurbishment since it opened in 1988 – now a $32m project will bring it back to its “glory days”.

A major refurbishment of Adelaide’s InterContinental Hotel has been announced to bring back its “glory days”.

The “top-to-bottom” upgrade, worth $32m, will include a redesign of all 367 rooms and a major facelift for the hotel’s entrance and lobby.

Award-winning teppanyaki restaurant, Shiki, will also be enhanced as part of the project, which is due to start late this year and be completed in early 2023.

The building’s exterior will remain untouched.

Leanne Harwood, managing director of InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) for Australasia and Japan, said the project would be the hotel’s first upgrade since it opened in 1988.

The InterContinental Adelaide Hotel will undergo an internal $32m revamp. Picture: Supplied by Intercontinental

The project will be funded by the hotel’s Bangkok-based owners, TCC Land International.

“I think it’s fair to say that all hotels go through a life-cycle and now it’s time for this hotel to have a $32m investment to bring it back to where it should be – back to the glory days of being the … luxury centre of Adelaide,” Ms Harwood said.

“We’ve been working with our owners over a long period of time to ensure that we get this absolutely right.”

The hotel, on North Terrace, will remain open throughout the construction period.

Premier Steven Marshall welcomed the announcement, calling it a “terrific vote of confidence” in the state’s tourism and business industries.

The InterContinental Adelaide’s entrance and lobby will also be upgraded. Picture: B CAPTURED by KY LUU

“The InterContinental, from the time it opened back in 1988 has been an absolute favourite for our city and for our state,” he said.

“This is a very important property for South Australia and now it’s going to be taken right back to its absolute fantastic, peak performance.”

The project will also include a new InterContinental Club lounge, refurbished event spaces and upgraded hallways and lifts.

IHG operates 60 hotels under six various brands in Australasia, including Crowne Plaza Adelaide, Holiday Inn Express Adelaide and the new Hotel Indigo Adelaide.

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