Skip to content

Search

Latest Stories

IHCL, Ambuja plan 15 new hotels in India

Ambuja will invest about $240 million in the projects

IHCL and Ambuja Neotia unveil $240M plan for 15 luxury hotels in India by 2030

Indian Hotels Co. Ltd. and Ambuja Neotia Group plan to open 15 hotels across West Bengal, Sikkim and Himachal Pradesh over the next five years.

IHCL

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.
INDIAN HOTELS CO. Ltd. recently signed a new agreement with the Ambuja Neotia Group to develop 15 additional hotels across West Bengal, Sikkim and Himachal Pradesh. Ambuja will invest approximately $240 million toward executing the projects.

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.

More for you

Skill Council and Lalit Suri Hospitality School starts hospitality training in India

Skill council, school take on hospitality training in India

Summary:

  • The Tourism and Hospitality Skill Council and The Lalit Suri Hospitality School signed an MoU to improve hospitality education.
  • The collaboration reflects a broader push to invest in youth training and workforce readiness in India’s hospitality sector.
  • It aims to provide domain knowledge, hands-on training and certifications for domestic and international careers.

THE TOURISM AND Hospitality Skill Council and The Lalit Suri Hospitality School recently signed a memorandum of understanding to improve the quality and reach of hospitality training in India. The collaboration reflects a broader push to invest in youth training and workforce readiness in the sector.

Keep ReadingShow less
Baruasagar Fort and Raja Rani Mahal restored as luxury heritage stays by Neemrana Hotels in India
Photo credit: ANI

Neemrana to restore heritage sites in UP, MP

Summary:

  • Neemrana Hotels is working with Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh to restore heritage sites.
  • The two sites are Baruasagar Fort in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, and Raja Rani Mahal in Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh.
  • Neemrana aims to convert them into “revenue-generating non-hotels.”

INDIA’S NEEMRANA HOTELS recently signed agreements with the governments of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh states to restore and adapt heritage structures under a public-private partnership. The two sites are Baruasagar Fort in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, and Raja Rani Mahal in Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh.

Keep ReadingShow less
Welcomhotel Prayagraj exterior view with heritage-inspired architecture
Photo credit: ITC Hotels

India's ITC Hotels profit jumps 53 percent in Q1

Summary:

  • ITC Hotels posted record quarterly profit and revenue in the first quarter of fiscal 2026, with revenue up 20 percent to $103.2 million and profit up 53 percent to $16.08 million.
  • The portfolio has grown to more than 200 hotels, with 143 operational and 58 in the pipeline.
  • Welcomhotel Prayagraj, ITC’s seventh property in Uttar Pradesh, includes 60 rooms and banqueting space.

INDIA’S ITC HOTELS posted its highest-ever quarterly profit and revenue in the first quarter of fiscal year 2026, with consolidated revenue up 20 percent to $103.2 million and profit rising 53 percent to $16.08 million, according to a Times of India report. Meanwhile, ITC launched Welcomhotel Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, bringing its total to seven properties in the state, with six more in the pipeline.

Keep ReadingShow less
Tata Sons announces $58M memorial trust to support victims of June 12 Air India crash and aid reconstruction efforts
Photo credit: Vishma Ahanthem/AFP

Tata sets up $58M trust for Air India crash victims

Summary:

  • Tata Sons and Tata Trusts formed a $58 million welfare trust for victims of the June 12 Air India crash, contributing $29 million each.
  • Tata Sons, established in 1917 and registered in Mumbai, is the Tata Group’s holding company; Tata Trusts collectively own 66 percent of it.
  • Tata Sons reacquired 100 percent of Air India in January 2022 through its subsidiary Talace Pvt Ltd.

TATA SONS ESTABLISHED a $58 million, or Rs 500 crore, welfare trust for victims of the June 12 Air India crash. The AI-171 Memorial and Welfare Trust is registered in Mumbai.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India Boeing 787 at JFK Airport during flight restoration

AI resuming some international flights Aug. 1

Summary:

  • Air India to partially restore international wide-body schedule from Aug. 1 after 15 percent cut following June 12 AI 171 crash.
  • Delhi–New York (JFK) and Mumbai–New York (JFK) cut to six weekly; Delhi–Newark to four.
  • Revised schedule takes effect in August; full restoration expected from October.

AIR INDIA WILL partially restore its international wide-body schedule from Aug. 1, following a 15 per cent reduction after the June 12 crash of flight AI 171 on the Ahmedabad to London Gatwick route, operated by a Boeing 787. Delhi to New York’s JFK International Airport and Mumbai to New York (JFK) will operate six weekly flights each, down from seven, while Delhi to Newark, New Jersey, will drop to four from five.

Keep ReadingShow less