Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said Guwahati will get 11 new five-star hotels, and credited the hospitality boom to the momentum created after the Advantage Assam 2.0 investment summit held earlier this year.

Sarma revealed about the upcoming hospitality projects after attending the bhoomipujan events of the two Marriott properties, including the Marriott Resort and Spa, coming up on a 77-bigha plot near the Guwahati international airport.

“In Guwahati, almost 11 hotels are coming up in the five star category... Guwahati is becoming a hub for global hospitality chains. They are seizing the opportunity to cater to the huge demand in the region. All of this has gained momentum post Advantage Assam 2.O investment summit,” Sarma said, adding the leading hospitality brands included Marriott, Taj, Radisson and Lemon Tree.

The chief minister said the upcoming hotels will be a big draw for both tourists, businessmen and destination weddings.

Once operational, these projects will aid the state’s hospitality sector to undergo a massive change.

In 2006, when Assam was looking for investors in its fledging IT sector, Infosys co-founder N.R. Narayana Murthy had enquired about the availability of bandwidth and five-star hotels in the state, while suggesting that Northeast needed five star hotels to attract investments.

The first five-star hotel to be set up in Guwahati was Radisson Blu in 2014. Guwahati now has five such hotels.

The chief minister posted on X: “Guwahati gets a leg up on attracting global hospitality chains! Today (Monday), I performed the Bhoomi Poojan for 2 major @MarriottIntl properties. MoUs for these projects worth ₹500cr were signed during #AdvantageAssam2 and work has begun in 3 months — that’s the speed of a new Assam.”