Summary:
- IHCL and Ambuja Neotia Group aim to develop 15 new hotels across West Bengal, Sikkim and Himachal Pradesh.
- The projects are expected to be completed by 2030.
- The expansion aims to boost tourism in East and North-East India.
The IHCL and Ambuja Neotia partnership will open Taj resorts in Sunderban and Darjeeling, West Bengal; Shimla, Himachal Pradesh; and Rabong, Sikkim. They will build SeleQtions hotels in Kolkata, West Bengal and Siliguri, West Bengal. A Tree of Life hotel will be built in Lataguri, West Bengal. The expansion will include a mix of greenfield, brownfield and conversion projects, PTI reported.
“Under this capital light arrangement, the total number of hotels, through the partnership with the Ambuja Neotia Group, will go from 28 to 43,” said Puneet Chhatwal, IHCL managing director and CEO. “What we estimate is 1,000-plus rooms will be added by the new hotels to an existing 1,500 rooms.”
Harshvardhan Neotia, Ambuja's chairman, said the recent partnership with IHCL highlights the strength and momentum of their continued collaboration.
“Northeast, the unexplored region of India, has tremendous potential for bespoke luxury travel,” he said. “The addition of premium room inventory this fiscal to Taj Chia Kutir in Kurseong as well as the upcoming Taj-branded luxury villas in Darjeeling, Lataguri and Gangtok reflects the growing demand from the segment."
The first phase includes four signed operating agreements: Taj Darjeeling, SeleQtions in Kolkata and Siliguri and Tree of Life in Lataguri. A few select projects will also include Taj-branded villas in Darjeeling, Sikkim, Lataguri and Raichak. Completion is planned over the next five years.
Recently, Tata Sons launched a new hospitality platform to support IHCL, enabling it to operate group-owned hotels on a revenue-share model while staying asset-light.
