Carlson Rezidor plans 170 hotels in India in five years.

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, that runs Radisson hotels, recently said it plans to have more than 170 properties in the country in the next five years, by focusing on Northern, Southern and Western regions.

'We are looking at increasing our India portfolio to more than 170 hotels within the next five years,' Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group Chief Executive Officer ( South Asia) Raj Rana said in a statement.

Carlson Rezidor currently has 71 hotels in operation and 41 under development, across 45 Indian cities, including 14 state capitals. More properties will be added in India's Northern, Southern and Western parts, it said.

The Group recently launched its new 'Radisson Red' hotel brand in India, a key market in which Carlson Rezidor is well established as the No. 1 international operator by number of properties.

The launch of this upscale lifestyle elect brand is part of Carlson Rezidor's aggressive expansion plans for India, which are aimed at extending the Group's lead in a country where it currently has 71 hotels in operation, Rana said.

'The economic outlook is optimistic and the demand for rooms in India has been growing by double-digit percentages over the past decade and this is expected to continue for the next few years.

ET