InterContinental Hotels & Resorts celebrated the opening of its first luxury hotel in Bulgaria with an official grand opening ceremony. More than 500 international investors, representatives of the authorities, ambassadors, diplomats, and managers of leading Bulgarian and foreign companies attended the event.

In the symbolic ribbon cutting ceremony, Angelo Zuccala, General Manager of InterContinental Sofia; Fergus Stewart, Vice President, Luxury Operations, Europe; Konstantin Boyadzhiev, CEO of Galaxy Investment Group and Nikolina Angelkova, Minister of Tourism, cut the ribbon.

Arthur Févre and Theo Randall, two of the best chefs in Europe's finest cuisine and part of the InterContinental Hotels Group, were the big surprise of the event. They prepared special recipes in front of the guests that will be included in Floret Restaurant and bar’s menu. At the opening cocktail party, all of the guests had the opportunity to taste a special selection of exquisite "Face-to-Face" wines (F2F), part of the New Bloom Winery’s portfolio.

For the good mood of the guests, the Bulgarian musical group “The Strings” and the singers Lubo Kirov, Vasil Petrov and Orlin Pavlov had special live performances.

InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, the world's largest luxury brand with 70 years of history, is part of the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG®). IHG® is a leading hotel company that operates in nearly 100 countries and holds leading positions in some of the most attractive segments in the industry to date. Each of the brand’s hotels, including the newly opened one in Bulgaria, offers the ultimate luxury services to its clients.

"We have developed InterContinental Club Lounge, providing innovative for the local market personalized services and exclusive preferences that make the stay of our guests even more special," said Angelo Zuccala, General Manager of InterContinental Sofia at the grand opening of the hotel in Sofia. "We also offer professional concierge services with individual approach to each guest and his needs - from booking a restaurant to flower delivery" the hotel management added.

Fergus Stewart specially thanked Konstantin Boyadzhiev, CEO of Galaxy Investment Group for the official grand opening of the luxury hotel wishing InterContinental Sofia soon to win the title "Best hotel in Bulgaria."

"The entry of some of the largest hotel brands in Bulgaria such as InterContinental will provide luxury five-star services to the tourists in Sofia. This will contribute to the positive image of the country and position it as a modern tourist destination and a suitable place for doing business.” said Konstantin Boyadzhiev.

The remarkable InterContinental Sofia is located at the heart of the Bulgarian capital, adjacent to the country’s primary government buildings and cultural highlights with convenient access to the business district, with a breathtaking view of the National Assembly Square and the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. The hotel has 194 rooms and suites, 5 meeting rooms, a la carte restaurant and Club InterContinental Lounge.