Radisson Hotel Group to add 30 operating hotels in India by 2023

Global hospitality major Radisson Hotel Group is looking to add around 30 operating hotels in its portfolio by 2023 as part of its expansion plans in the country, a top company official has said.

The company currently has 94 operating hotels in India. It has been signing around 12 to 15 hotels every year and opening about 8 to 10 hotels on an average.

"We plan to add about 30 more operating hotels by end of 2023 as part of our expansion plans in India. So, we would have around 125 to 130 operating hotels by then," Radisson Hotel Group, South Asia, Managing Director & VP Operations, Zubin Saxena told PTI.

This a part of the company's strategy to cross 200 hotel-mark, both operational and in the pipeline, in India by 2023 and it is on target to achieve this, he added.

On being asked about the growth roadmap for the company, Saxena said: "It is all dependent on the market. I think India as a market is going to be a mid market growth story as the country grows in tier II and tier III locations. So, the brands in these segments are expected to have some movement".

But in tier I cities, the company will also be launching Radisson Collection, which is our luxury brand in India. The company is also launching a Radisson RED in Mohali later this year, he added.

On the initiatives undertaken by the company to streamline operations and to ramp up operational profitability, Saxena said: "In 2019, we launched 'India Unification Plan' which was built around unlocking the synergies of our portfolio in India. We would like to say that the plan has been a success".

India unification strategy is premised on five critical areas: people, procurement, food and beverage, operations and commercial, he noted.

When asked about the business model the company follows, he said: "We are largely doing management agreements with selective franchising".

Another successful initiative undertaken by the company is that it has clustered the hotels in its portfolio in India. Right now it has 6 operating clusters, he added.

Radisson Hotel Group is one of the world's largest hotel firms with seven distinctive hotel brands, and more than 1,400 hotels in operation and under development around the world.

The company's portfolio includes Radisson Collection, Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson RED, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson and Country Inn & Suites by Radisson.