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Fairfield Inn, Holiday Inn Express building presences there
India’s hotel market is red hot, and more of that growth is taking place in the mid-tier market. Reflecting that trend are these two announcements: Marriott International plans to introduce its Fairfield Inn brand to the country, and InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has signed an agreement to open 19 more Holiday Inn Express units there.
Marriott said it has reached a preliminary agreement to form a joint venture with Samhi Hotels Pvt. Ltd., a hotel investment fund, to build 15 Fairfield by Marriotts in India by 2015. “With a burgeoning middle class of more than 200 million people, yet very few branded moderate-tier hotels to serve them, India presents a powerful growth opportunity for Fairfield by Marriott,” said Navjit Ahluwalia, senior vice president of development in India, Marriott International. “
Marriott has redesigned the Fairfield Inn locales in that country specifically for their market. That means the Indian Fairfield Inns will include a full-service restaurant, an expansive lobby and meeting space, none of which exist at the brand’s U.S. units. The chain also has created a palette based on saffron, turmeric and Indian embroidered textiles.
“To design Fairfield by Marriott [for India], we started where we should—with the upwardly-mobile Indian business traveler,” says Shruti Gandhi Buckley, vice president of the Fairfield by Marriott brand. “We believe we’ve developed a hotel prototype that is culturally relevant, meeting our guests’ unique needs around hotel living, dining, and socializing.”
IHG, meantime, has signed a joint venture partnership with Duet India Hotels Group (DIHL) to develop 19 additional Holiday Inn Express hotels across India. Beyond those new projects, IHG has 45 other hotels under development in India, more than three-quarters of which are part of the Holiday Inn family of brands.
“With strong economic growth and an expanding middle class in India, we forecast strong future demand for mid-market and select service hotels, cementing Holiday Inn Express’ position as one of the fastest growing brands in the hotel industry,” said Richard Solomons, IHG’s cfo and head of commercial development.
The India-related announcements by Marriott and IHG come on the heels of Starwood Hotels’ disclosure yesterday that it will open seven additional hotels in that country this year, and will also begin work on its first W locale for that market.
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