The Luxe Sayaji, Pune, is one of the first Luxe Worldwide Hotels in India

Are you shuddering at the thought of making a business trip to a city that doesn’t have good hotels? Or have you hit a dead end trying to book a decent place to stay during your next vacation? Well don’t fret. A clutch of top international hotel chains is coming to India, and they should help change the face of the Indian hotel industry.

The newcomers are coming in at all ends of the spectrum. At the top end there are no-expense-spared boutique chains like Singapore’s Alila Hotels & Resorts which opened the lavish Alila Diwa Goa in December 2009 and which is about to launch a second hotel in Bangalore later this month.

Also there are the giant chains like the US-based Best Western International that launched six new hotels in 2010. There are plenty of others offering more room at the inn. For budget travellers, UK’s Premier Inn is set to open nine hotels across India by 2013.

UK’s biggest budget hotel chain Premier Inn kickstarted its Indian sojourn with its Bangalore property

Add to that old players like Hilton, Carlson Hotels and Hyatt Regency who are on an expansion spree and it’s clear that options for travellers of all hues are expanding hugely. What’s more, the new establishments are going beyond the regulation metros and opening shop in cities like Pune, Neral (Maharashtra), Shirdi, Indore and Mysore. “We want to establish our presence in the metros, followed by the primary leisure and religious tourism destinations in India. We’ve chosen 150 cities that have good potential,” says Sudhir Sinha, president and COO, Best Western India.

So what lies behind this sudden boom in the hospitality sector? Says Neeraj Chadha, general manager, Hilton New Delhi: “According to available statistics, there are only approximately 1,20,000 hotel rooms in India, of which 48,000 are branded. For a fast-growing economy, India doesn’t have enough hotel rooms. We can expect tourist and business traffic to continue growing and push the demand for hotel rooms.”

Best Western International has tied up with Calcutta’s Vedic Village Spa Resort, making the latter the first BW Premier hotel in India

Tourism’s also been on the upswing. “India has registered five million international travellers over the last couple of years and overall the hotel industry has seen business improve by around 20 per cent this fiscal year,” says Aly Shariff, managing director, Premier Inn Hotels.

Adds Meinhard Huck, president, Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts: “Increased domestic travel and spending power along with better road and air infrastructure have also encouraged travel.”

So what are these international hotel chains bringing to the table? Read on.

A stunning debut

Take a look at Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts which is set to open its first Indian property in Bangalore in early 2011. The chain plans to add 12 to 15 hotels in the long term across the country. “We see a huge potential in India from a hotel development perspective,” says Lokesh Kumar, vice president — development & marketing, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts Management, India.

The fine dining restaurant at Swissôtel Kolkata offers guests a truly international experience

The 182-room Mövenpick Hotel & Spa Bangalore will boast 5-star accommodation, a Japanese/Thai sky lounge and bar, an Italian fine dining restaurant, spa and a 1920s-style bar. Tariffs are likely to range from between Rs 8,878 and Rs 10,653 per night.

Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts, owned by Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, made its debut in India with the deluxe Swissôtel Kolkata. The Swiss hotel chain is following it up with two properties in Bangalore and Gurgaon by 2013. Construction has begun on both properties. “Both properties will offer conference spaces, deluxe rooms for demanding business travellers, modern and stylish spa and fitness facilities as well as high class gastronomical offers,” says Huck.

Another chain on the go is Best Western International. After starting out by tying up with Calcutta’s Vedic Village Spa Resort, it launched the BW Premier La Marvella, Bangalore and BW Sky City, Gurgaon last year. And the company says that all these properties have already registered high occupancy rates. In the wings are six new hotels. “The properties which will start operations shortly are in Goa, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Neral and Shirdi. Each property has been carefully chosen for its attractiveness, location and brand fit,” says Sinha.

More is in

An artist’s rendering of the upcoming Radisson Blu Hotel Mumbai

The older players are on a roll too. Looking to consolidate their position in the luxury hospitality sector now that business is booming, these hotel chains are on a serious expansion spree.

The Minneapolis-based Carlson Hotels is looking to add more than 100 hotels in India by 2015 under its brands Radisson, Radisson Blu, Park Plaza, Park Inn and Country Inns & Suites. They have launched eight new hotels last year across the country from Indore to Mamallapuram to Ahmedabad.

“With the upscale Radisson brand, guests can look forward to a contemporary and vibrant brand essence,” says K.B. Kachru, executive vice president, Carlson Hotels, South Asia. The Radisson Hotel Indore offers 18 suites and 183 rooms along with a variety of dining options, while the Radisson Resort Temple Bay Mamallapuram sprawls over 44 acres. One of the chief attractions of this 144-room hotel is a 27,000sqft swimming pool and a pitch and putt golf course. Tariffs go up to Rs 8,000 per night.

Hilton Worldwide on the other hand launched the 5-star Hilton Garden Inn New Delhi/Saket in December 2009, and the 228-room Hilton New Delhi/ Janakpuri in February last year. Hilton Chennai/Guindy is slated to open later this month. The other properties that’ll open in the next few months are Hilton Residences Bengaluru/Embassy Golf Links Business Park, Hilton Garden Inn Gurgaon/Baani Square and Doubletree by Hilton Gurgaon. “We currently have 20 properties at various stages of development,” says Chadha.

The Alila Diwa Goa is all about lavish architecture and luxe living

The Chicago-based Hyatt is set to open three deluxe hotels in India in the next six months, and the 222-room Hyatt Regency Pune made its debut last November. The 325-room Hyatt Regency Chennai and the 238-room Grand Hyatt Goa will open in 2011. “Hyatt Regency Pune is a premium hotel with rooms and service apartments for discerning business travellers. Hyatt Regency Chennai is a stylish, contemporary business hotel, while the Grand Hyatt Goa would be a palatial waterfront resort,” says Thierry Bertin, vice president, marketing, Hyatt International, South West Asia. Also in the offing over the next five years are Hyatt Regency, Park Hyatt and Hyatt Place properties across India.

Boutique bandwagon

Boutique’s the new watchword in the hospitality business and some of the biggest international players are racing to invest in this segment in India. Defined by comparatively smaller properties and trendy architecture, these hotels are guaranteed to grab eyeballs.

Soon to debut is Hyatt’s world-renowned Andaz brand. Slated to open in 2013 with 323 rooms and 118 apartments, the Andaz Delhi will seek to blend style with vibrant hospitality. Among the key features will be a 7,000sqft ballroom and seven conference rooms.

After the 149-room Alila Diwa Goa (with lavish architecture, rooms with private terraces and a highly rated destination-dining restaurant), Alila Bangalore’s all set to debut this month. The 93-room business resort is distinguished by design innovations along with three restaurants. Rates start at Rs 8,000 per night. “We expect that it will become Bangalore’s unique urban resort,” says Doris Goh, vice president, sales & marketing, Alila Hotels and Resorts.

The international luxury boutique chain Luxe Worldwide Hotels launched three new hotels — the Luxe Sayaji Pune, and one each in Mumbai and in Bangalore — in 2010 and is following it up with one more in Alibaug. They’re also looking at business propositions in Goa, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and others. “Our hotels are unique properties with all the luxuries of a 5-star hotel,” says Kishore Luthria, regional director, Luxe Hotels Worldwide. Tariffs range between Rs 4,700 and Rs 14,866 per night.

Easy on the pocket

If the rather pricey tags of these super-luxe dens aren’t for you, take a look at the mid-scale/budget hospitality segment. Comfort at the right price is the mantra of the international hotel chains investing in this sector.

Premier Inn is launching the Premier Inn Shalimar Bagh in Delhi this month, its second property after the 105-room Premier Inn Bangalore Whitefield. Coming up is a property in Pune by 2012. Rooms are tagged at Rs 3,500 per night. “We’re targeting tier I and tier II cities which attract business travellers and tourists. These places don’t have enough hotels that are reasonably priced with quality service,” says Shariff.

Carlson has the Park Plaza, Park Inn and Country Inns & Suites brands in this category with new properties coming up in Gurgaon, Ahmedabad and Faridabad. Another big player is the France-based hospitality chain Louvre Hotels. It’s planning to bring its Premiere Classe and Campanile budget chains, with about 100 medium-sized properties across the country over the next five years.

So just check in, folks! The world is holding the door for you.