Rajkot, Gandhidham to get Gateway Hotels in two years' time

Co migrates Taj Ummed under its portfolio.

Out of the 15 greenfield proects lined up for the next two to three years, the Gateway Hotels, the mid-range brand of the Tata group's Indian Hotels Company (IHCL), plans to set up atleast two greenfield projects in Gujarat. The company is looking at Rajkot and Gandhidham to set up hotels to cater to the upscale segment.

IHCL, the largest hotel company in Asia, plans to have 50 Gateway hotels in India in the next few years, from about 31 at present. "As part of the expansion plans, Gateway plans to add 15 new properties and run five hotels as management contracts. Gujarat will be a priority for our projects and we plan to open new properties in Rajkot and Gandhidham, to begin with. Other places for owned properties will be Pune and Raipur to name a few," said PK Mohankumar, chief operating officer, Gateway Hotels, on the occasion of transferring the portfolio of Taj Residency Ummed in Ahmedabad to Gateway Hotels.

The Taj in the city, which was started nine years ago with a turnover of Rs 50 crore, will now be called The Gateway Hotel Ummed Ahmedabad, making it the third property under the Taj brand to be migrated to Gateway Hotels in Gujarat, after Vadodara and Surat. While Gateway will be connected with the Taj in terms of website, reservation, travel agents and corporate contacts, it will still continue to be a standalone group. According to Gangrade, general manager marketing-Gateway Hotels, "There would be no change in the services offered by Taj Ahmedabad. While the average room tariff would be Rs 9500, we would be offering a Rs 6500 corporate executive package.

Company officials reiterate the need to introduce newer brands as a smart business strategy to attract both domestic and global customers. "We wanted to make sure our customers stay in a range of our hotels including five-star, upscale, premium and budget hotels. At the same time, we wanted to have a presence across tthe value chain of the hotel industry. This is the right time to create more brands because, according to a survey, India currently needs 2 lakh more rooms as compared to the 1 lakh rooms the hotel industry offers. We are also planning destination resorts across the country," Mohankumar added. Kumar further said that with Gateway, the company is competing with the likes of Aloft hotels.

The Gateway brand was created in September 2008 to primarily cater to the contemporary business and leisure traveller. Other brands owned by IHCL are Taj, Vivanta by Taj and Ginger.