IHG to grow mid-scale brands in India

35 Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express properties being added

US-based hospitality major InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) plans to grow its mid-scale brands, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express in India. These brands constitute 85 per cent of the group's development pipeline in the country, said Shantha de Silva, head of South West Asia, IHG.

The group has 21 hotels in India across 13 cities under four brands -- InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express -- with a further 47 hotels (9,000 rooms) in the pipeline.

The company has partnerships with various developers and hotel chains to develop properties across the country.

It has an agreement with Amrapali Group to open six hotels - two Holiday Inn and four Holiday Inn Express properties - in Noida, Indore, Jaipur and Kochi.

"We also have an agreement with the Brigade Group in south India to develop 10 Holiday Inn Express hotels, and with Duet India Hotels Group to open 19 Holiday Inn Express hotels by next year," de Silva added.

Globally, the company has adopted an asset-light business model where most of its hotels are either managed or franchised. The strategy is consistent across all operating regions, including Asia, West Asia and Africa where it has about 250 hotels with another 142 in various stages of development.

"We're also expanding the presence of our Crowne Plaza brand," said de Silva. Crowne Plaza is an upscale hotel brand catering to business travellers. The company - which has eight Crowne Plaza hotels in the Delhi national capital region, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad and Kochi - is looking to open five more over the next five years.

According to the company, business travel in India is on the rise. Global Business Travel Association figures show that India has moved from the 24th spot in the world's business travel market ranking in 2000 to 10th now.