Ginger's most expensive hotel opens in Mumbai

The 116-room property in Andheri charges on par with a mid-segment hotel

Ginger, the budget hotel brand from the house of Tatas, launched its first property in suburban Mumbai even as it prepares to charge customers on par with a mid-segment hotel.

The hotel charges Rs 4,999 per night (taxes additional) at this property, which is more than thrice the average charges laid down across its other 25 operational properties across the country.

The 116-room property, opened in Andheri, is less than five kilometers from the domestic airport and located close to an industrial space.

The property, which was a commercial building, has been converted into a hotel by Roots Corporation after taking it on lease for a period of 13 years. Roots Corporation is a subsidiary of Indian Hotels Company (IHCL), which operates the Taj, Vivanta by Taj and Gateway brand of hotels.

Roots Corporation started work on this property in July last year and has spent Rs 13.5 crore towards the property's revamp, said a senior executive of the company.

Prabhat Pani, chief executive officer and director, Roots Corporation, said, "This is the only property in our portfolio with such kind of pricing. We had to consider the cost of the property before arriving at such prices. There are still a few properties we have which charge Rs 999 per night though".

The average tariff in Mumbai for a single star hotel is about Rs 1,250, while that of a two star property is at Rs 1,850. A three star property charges Rs 5,500 per night, according to the company.

Ginger's occupancy rate presently is between 65-70% across the country with 60% of its clients belonging to the corporate sector. The balance belongs to a mix of liesure and business clients.

The company is adding properties in other parts of the country with seven more in various stages of construction. More properties are also scheduled to come up in Pune, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Vadodra, Vapi, Aurangabad, Nagpur, Bhopal, Raipur to name a few.