Expansion Continues in India as Swiss International Makes A Foray

Switzerland-based brand, Swiss International Hotels & Resorts announced on Tuesday its plans to launch 45 hotels in the different star categories across India. The group hopes to cater both leisure and business travellers taking flights to India.

Hospitality industry continues to expand in India as the Switzerland-based Swiss International announced Tuesday that it is planning to open up 45 hotels in the country by 2017.

The 30-year-old Swiss hospitality brand aims to set up 50 hotels in the 3 star, 4 star and 5 star categories across India and South Asia. Some 6,000 hotel rooms will be added. The move is sure to delight holiday makers booking flights to India with added choices.

Swiss International Hotels & Resorts would be a 4/5 star, luxury brand with about 200 rooms, restaurants and other conveniences.

Spirit Hotel will be a 3 star, midscale hotel touted as affordable luxury. It will cater to budget travellers taking relatively cheap flights to India.

“We are looking at 50 hotels across India and south Asia. Of this, around 40-45 hotels will be in India and for the rest we are looking at countries like Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal Pakistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan. Overall, we are looking at 6,000 rooms in three, four and five star categories,” Swiss International Hotels and Resorts, South Asia, Chairman and Managing Director Anupam Narayan was quoted in news reports.

He further elucidated that the company is planning to open 40-50 per cent of the hotels under the 4/5 star category and about 30 per cent under 3 star category.

He added that Swiss International is also looking at managing resorts possibly in Kerala and Goa. The two destinations are massively popular holiday destinations in India that tempt many to book airline tickets and travel to the country.

“We are also scouting for opportunities to manage resorts in Kerala and Goa,” a leading financial daily quoted Narayan as saying.

Swiss International Hotels and Resorts is anticipating signing couple of management contract deals in the country by the end of this year, he said.

“We are already in advanced stage of talks with several developers and hope to sign at least two deals by the end of this year,” Narayan said.

After these initial deals, Swiss International aims to sign 10 such deals each year. “Our key focus initially will be metro cities, before moving into Tier I and II cities,” he further added.

Swiss International has plans to establish 150 hotels globally in the next five years, of which, 24 are almost complete.