Kempinski to open 3 new hotels in India by 2020.

European luxury hotel chain, Kempinski plans to operate three new hotels in India by 2020 as part of its expansion in the country.

'We plan to operate three new hotels in India by 2020 taking our total strength to four hotels. We already have a hotel in Delhi,' Kempinski Chief Operating Officer Duncan O'Rourke said.

These hotels will be in Kolkata, Mumbai and Kerala if the ongoing negotiations are successful; he said adding 'we generally expect them to be successful. The Kerala will be a resort'.

O'Rourke said the company will follow 'a management contract model' for these new hotels. Globally, Kempinski has over 70 hotels in operation at present and plans to open 112 hotels by 2017, all of which will be in the five-star luxury segment.

Underlining the importance of the Indian market, he said: 'Apart from India being the largest democratic country with a growing economy and a big middle class another important factor is large number of inbound and outbound visitors.'

Deccan Chronicle