2 new Hilton hotels in 2017
Hilton has 15 properties in the pipeline for India, with two hotels planned for 2017, reveals Kaushik Vardharajan, Vice President, Development – India, Hilton Worldwide.
With a portfolio of 4,700 hotels under 13 brands around the world, Hilton is one of the most popular international hospitality brands. In India, Hilton has 15 hotels with a total of 240 rooms, and the hospitality giant has an equal number of hotels on the anvil. “We have 15 hotels, with a total of 2500 rooms in the pipeline. Everybody is looking at Tier-I cities, but Tier-II and Tier-III cities are very exciting right now and there is huge growth in this market, and we are looking across the country,” claims Vardharajan.
The latest property to open under the Hilton umbrella was the Conrad in Pune, which is a Tier-II city. He says, “Pune has seen a huge growth in the market, and has a huge number of companies. There is growing disposable income in the city and in terms of luxury spend, it ranks among the top five. If you look at the Pune hotel market, there has been 15-20 per cent increase in demand year on year over the last 8-10 years. The Conrad brand offers modern sophisticated luxury. Located in the city centre, Conrad Pune has six F&B outlets, 20,000 sq ft of meeting space, and offers a variety of experiences for both leisure and business travellers. Right from the only outdoor heated pool in te city to an automobile lift for car launches, the property caters to everybody.”
Vardharajan adds, “The next property to open will be Conrad Bengaluru, and a Hilton Resort in Goa, both of which will open next year. We also have a Hilton Garden Inn coming up in Lucknow and one is planned for Jaipur as well. However, these would come in over a period of time. Apart from that we are also looking at bringing the Waldorf Astoria brand to India as well. We also have Curio by Hilton, under which we look for independent luxury heritage properties, and manage the commercial aspects for them. We believe that India has a lot of potential for this brand as well.”