History

The FIV 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 Express by Holiday Inn 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 Express by Holiday Inn was opened, followed quickly by the Express by Holiday Inn Cardiff Bay in 1998. In 1999, saw the successful opening of the Express by Holiday Inn Wimbledon South and last but not least, in 2004 saw the opening of the Express by Holiday Inn Swindon City Centre.