Choice Hotels, the owner of popular brand Quality Inn, is looking at expanding Indian operation.
According to Sunil Mathur, chief operating officer of Choice Hospitality India Pvt Ltd, the master franchisee of Choice Hotels International, is set to double its presence in India within two years.
"We are managing 25 properties in India. We aim to bring another 25 hotels under our management within two years from now," Mathur said in Kolkata.
He was here to induct, Golden Park, a city hotel in the heart of Kolkata, under Quality Inn portfolio.
Mathur also informed company was keen to introduce two other brands of Choice International, Clarion and Sleep In, in India. So far, the company only operates through Quality Inn and Comfort Inn brands here.
While Quality Inn is a four star category product, Comfort Inn is a three star category product.
In contrast, Clarion is a deluxe four star while Sleep In is positioned as hotel with minimum food and beverage support.
Mathur said demand for such products were on the rise in India. Sleep In, for instance, is aimed at fast moving executives who stay for short duration and do not mind eating outside the hotel. He informed a hotel in Delhi was being upgraded to Clarion.
CHIPL, where Sushil Gupta, one of the promoters of Asian Hotels owning Hyatt Regency brand in India, has substantial holding, does not own any property.
Mathur believed there was tremendous opportunity in managing hotels since large number of stand alone hotels wanted to join in chains.
"It works both ways: it expands the market since chain offers multilocational and Internet based booking and it also leverage the brand name of the chain which is well known," an expert said.
The mid market segment has seen a flurry of activities in India with number of domestic hotels chains expanding their base. For instance, ITC Hotels is moving its Fortune brand while EIH has Trident under its fold.
CHIPL is the master franchisee of Choice Hotels International, headquartered at Silver Springs, Washington DC, USA.
It was established in 1939 and has grown into a chain of over 5000 hotels across 46 countries.
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