Calcutta: Sarovar Hotels, an over two-decade-old Indian hospitality brand, has set its sights on expanding its portfolio to 100 hotels in India and abroad by 2020.

Founded in 1994, Sarovar Hotels has 75 properties in the premium, mid-range and budget segments. The hospitality chain has three brands - Sarovar Premiere, Sarovar Portico and Hometel. It also manages properties under other brands and has a presence in 50 locations, including Calcutta.

The group has planned to add over 1,700 new rooms across 22 identified properties in the next two years in India and Africa.

"We are targeting 100 hotels by 2020. We have already signed up new hotels in Ajmer, Jhansi, Dibrugarh (Assam), Guhagarh, Junagadh, Gorakhpur, and Dalhousie. Expected openings in 2018 include hotels in Raipur, Jaisalmer, Mahipalpur (New Delhi) and Bangalore," said Ajay K. Bakaya, managing director of Sarovar Hotels and Resorts.

"We are also focusing on expanding our international footprint. Our value brand, Hometel, made its international debut last year as we signed our fourth hotel in Nairobi. We signed another Sarovar Portico hotel in Dar es Salaam, which is our second hotel in the city. Further, we have new openings expected in Zambia and Addis Ababa," he said.

Sarovar Hotels has seen a business restructuring last year with European hospitality brand Louvre Hotels buying a majority stake in the independent Indian hotel chain brand.

The partnership will also sustain the development of the Louvre Hotels in India, which manages 22 hotels under the Golden Tulip umbrella brand.

Bakaya said Sarovar was bullish on the growth prospects of the Indian hospitality industry in the coming years with a rise in demand for hotel rooms across the country.

"The revenue growth for the Indian hotel industry is expected to be around 6-7 per cent in 2017-18. The muted supply pipeline across several markets coupled with steady demand uptick will be the driver for the next upcycle in the industry over the next couple of years," he said.