InterContinental Hotels Group Plc's first hotel in Laos is open for business.

The 197-room Crowne Plaza Vientiane is the first internationally branded upscale hotel in Laos, the company said. It is in Vientiane along Samsenthai Road, which is a 10-minute drive from Wattay International Airport.

Leanne Harwood, InterContinental's vice president for operations in Southeast Asia and Korea, said the company continues to seek quality growth in new markets such as Laos, which has showed strong economic growth thanks to its expanding infrastructure.