Sarovar to open Kenya hotel this mnth, 33 more by 2011

Hospitality chain Sarovar Hotels & Resorts will open 33 hotels across the country by 2011, under various arrangements.

Also, the group will inaugrate its second overseas hotel under management contract by the end of this month in Kenya.

"A total of 33 hotels are under various stages of development, of which 25 hotels would be operational by the end of 2010 and the remaining in 2011," Sarovar Hotels & Resorts Managing Director Anil Madhok told PTI.

Sarovar Hotels & Resorts manages, franchises and markets 35 hotels and resorts under the brands — Sarovar Premiere (upscale), Sarovar Portico (mid-market) and Hometel (economy) with an inventory of 2,500 rooms.

"This year the company will open 11 more hotels among other places in Ludhiana, Gurgaon, Chandigarh, Siliguri and Port Blair with a total of 1,000 rooms," Madhok said.

In the international market, the chain operates the New Africa Hotel and Casino in Tanzania (126 rooms and suites) under a management contract.

It will inaugurate the second overseas property in Kenya this month. "The company has recently signed a management contract for a 134-room hotel in Nairobi. The hotel, Ole Sereni Nairobi, is scheduled for opening by end-July," Madhok said.