Wyndham Worldwide is expanding its presence throughout the Indian subcontinent, with 10 new hotel properties joining Wyndham Hotel Group and three new vacation ownership resorts joining the RCI vacation exchange network. In total, Wyndham currently has 28 hotels in its pipeline.
"We plan to add 50 hotels in India by end of 2018. We currently have 25 hotels here. We will also be adding 35 affiliated resorts in the country in the next three years," Wyndham Worldwide Chairman, President and CEO Stephen Holmes told PTI, noting India's strength as one of the fastest-growing travel markets in the world. "Right now, India represents a small portion of our overall business, but no market is growing faster than Indian market and it has a greater potential particularly in the timeshare side in the world. It will have a much larger share for us in the future," he said. Wyndham, he added, is the fastest-growing hotel franchisor in the country, with nearly 200 percent growth in India over the past five years.
Today’s announcement of 10 new deal signings includes two conversions under the company’s Howard Johnson and Ramada Plaza brands with the Unique Mercantile Group and also signifies expansion for the first time beyond India under the Ramada and Days Inn brands with Intraco Limited based out of Bangladesh. Of the 10 hotels, eight will be in India while two will be in countries of Indian region.
For timeshares, RCI has experienced approximately 40 percent growth in India since the beginning of 2012 and is affiliated with more than 130 properties representing approximately 80 percent of all vacation ownership resorts in India. Recent RCI expansion includes the addition of Treat Resort in Silvassa, Mirasol Water Park & Resort in Daman, and Ananta Spa & Resorts in Udaipur. RCI has also expanded its footprint in recent years in markets such as Kerala, Assam, Rajasthan, and Andhra Pradesh and has future plans to enter popular destinations such as Sri Lanka and Maldives.
Global Hotel Brands Look to India
Other brands are also looking to develop in India. In August, the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group signed three new contracts for hotels across the country's North, South and Western regions. The first of the new properties includes the 150-room Radisson Blu Kochi Elamkulam, which is owned by Middle East Hotel Company, an affiliate of Hampshire Hotels, and is expected to open December 2015. Next is the Radisson Resort Mahabaleshwar, a 158-room property owned by Phenominal Industries and planned for a Q1 2019 opening. Lastly, the Radisson Guragon Sohna Road, a 119-room hotel agreed toward the meetings and events market near Indira Gandhi International Airport, will open Q1 2018. The hotel is owned by X Nine Developers.
Vantage Hospitality is looking to expand its Value Inn Worldwide and Value Hotel Worldwide hotels to 100 properties throughout India over the next five to seven years.
Coming up, the first Hard Rock Hotel in Goa is expected to open in December. The 135-room hotel is replacing the existing North 16 resort and will be run by Spectra Hotels & Resorts, a partnership between North 16's current owners Convention Hotels India and Spectra Hospitality Services. The hotel was originally aiming for a March openings, but delays have pushed the opening date to the first week of December.