Hotel firms to add 2,500 rooms by fiscal end

Global and national hospitality chains are set to launch about a dozen hotels in metros and
mini-metros in the next 4-5 months, adding over 2,500 rooms as recession shows signs of abating.

While Starwood, the global hospitality chain, will unveil its Westin and Four Points by Sheraton branded hotels, Hilton Hotels would come up with Janakpuri and Saket hotels and Marriott International will open Courtyard by Marriott hotels in Ahmedabad and Gurgaon (the Unitech hotel that was sold to a high net worth individual).

Among the Indian hospitality chains, ITC Hotels would start ITC Gardenia-A luxury Collection hotel in Bangalore in a marketing-franchise arrangement with
Starwood Hotels & Resorts and Priya Paul-led The Park Hotel group will open The Park Hotel, Hyderabad.

The Oberoi group’s 480-key Trident Hotel at Bandra-Kurla complex is also set to be operational during this fiscal.

Starwood will contribute the highest 50% (1,000-odd rooms) to the new inventory.
It will launch five hotels, of which three properties would be Westin and the rest Four Points by Sheraton.

All its hotels are currently in the soft-launch stage and are expected to open within the next five months.

The Westin hotels will come up in Hyderabad, Mumbai (Goregaon) and Pune while Four Points by Sheraton will be at Vashi (Navi Mumbai) and Jaipur.

While Westin is a five-star hotel brand, Four Points by Sheraton is a mid-market, full-service category. Westin Sohna, Gurgaon, is the only operational property at present while the Four Points by Sheraton will make its India debut at Vashi.

The Westin hotel at Goregaon in Mumbai is being developed by Oberoi Constructions, while the Hyderabad and Pune properties are being built by K Raheja Corp and Avinash Bhosle Group respectively. K Raheja Corp is also the asset owner of Four Points by Sheraton hotel at Vashi while Jaipur property, expected to be operational by October 2009, is the erstwhile Dawnay Day hotel which was bought over by Duet Hotels. 
Starwood’s Vashi hotel has started receiving guests.

According to Miguel Ko, president and chairman of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Asia Pacific, Starwood, has spent the last two years laying the groundwork for the debut of the Four Points by Sheraton brand in India.

“We are thrilled to see our plans come to fruition with the opening and signing of these
new hotels,” Ko said.