Golden Tulip eyes 25 hotels in South Asia by 2016-end.

Golden Tulip Hotels and Resorts plans to operate 25 hotels in South Asia by the end of next year, said Shashi Razdan, Area Director, Sales and Marketing, Golden Tulip Hotels South Asia.

New properties are expected to come up in Bengaluru, Kolkata and Kufri (Himachal Pradesh), and also in Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. 'We plan to open another four hotels by the end of this year. We have also already signed on more properties which will take the tally to 25 hotels by the end of 2016,' Razdan said.

Golden Tulip Hotels group is part of international hospitality chain Louvre Hotels Group, which has six brands ranging from 1- to 5-star hotels and over 1,315 properties in 54 countries.

The three brands operating in India are Royal Tulip, Golden Tulip and Tulip Inn. It started operations in India in 2007 and has 18 properties operational at present. It does not own any of the properties.

The group is set to open a 5-star resort in Bangladesh next month. 'We are also in talks with certain hotel operators in Sri Lanka for management tie-ups to enhance our presence in the region. Sri Lanka is witnessing a lot of activity in the hospitality space. In a month or two, we will sign one or two budget hotels in the country. We might sign a hotel in Nepal and Bhutan as well,' he added.

Recently, China's Jin Jiang International Holdings acquired Louvre Hotels Group from Starwood Capital Group. The new parent company is keen to invest in India.

Razdan said: 'Jin Jiang is looking to acquire a budget chain as well as own certain 5-star hotels. It is looking to acquire as many as 50 existing properties to expand in India. While talks are on with budget chains, it could take a year to finalise.'



HBL