Our Story

The First Inn Group was established in 1996 after its founder Minhaz Manji negotiated a franchise agreement with InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) to develop and operate five hotels in the UK under IHG’s Express by Holiday Inn brand. This was the first such franchise in the UK following the successful launch of Holiday Inn Express and subsequent major expansion in the USA in the early 1990s.

Such was the success of the Group, the Development Agreement was subsequently amended in 2001 to incorporate 15 hotels. In 1997 the Burton Upon Trent Holiday Inn Express was opened, followed quickly by the Holiday Inn Express Cardiff Bay in 1998. In 1999, saw the successful opening of the Holiday Inn Express Wimbledon South, in 2004 saw the opening of the Holiday Inn Express Swindon City Centre and in 2021 saw the opening of ibis Budget Swindon and Staybridge Suites Cardiff.

Going forward the Group’s strategy is to continue to profitably grow the business by:

• Developing new hotels
• Providing management and operational direction for hotels by winning new management contracts
• Purchasing hotels which have gone into receivership and transforming them into profitable hotels