Skip to content

Search

Latest Stories

India's Mahindra maps 10,000-room expansion

It is expanding beyond vacation ownership into travel and tourism

India's Mahindra maps 10,000-room expansion

Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India aims to reach 10,000 rooms by 2030, up from more than 5,700 keys. Pictured is the Club Mahindra Kandaghat Resort in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh.

Photo credit: Club Mahindra

Summary:

  • MHRIL targets 10,000 rooms by 2030, up from 5,700.
  • It is exploring new models to become more competitive.
  • It calls the goal “conservative” amid India’s post-COVID tourism boom.
MAHINDRA HOLIDAYS AND Resorts India Ltd., a subsidiary of Mahindra Group, is aiming to have 10,000 rooms by 2030. The company is expanding beyond vacation ownership into the travel and tourism sector, Anish Shah, Mahindra Group CEO and managing director, said in an interview with PTI Videos.

MHRIL, led by Managing Director and CEO Manoj Bhat, had 5,794 keys as of June 30, 2025, and plans to add about 1,000 rooms this fiscal as part of its target to increase its room count to 10,000 by the 2030 fiscal, according to PTI.


Shah said the target of 10,000 rooms by 2030 is "conservative" given the boom in domestic tourism after the COVID-19 pandemic.

"So my response to that is that you're right,” Shah told PTI. “It should be much more. It is a good target right now, as a business looks at various options to go beyond vacation ownership."

The company is exploring new models to become more competitive, moving beyond its Club Mahindra business.

"As those options are thought through, further developed and combined with 'here's what the model is going to be' that will then give us a better sense of how we can play this in a much bigger way,” Shah said. "Our goal is very clear, to be the number one leisure hospitality player in India and that is something that we have been able to show, as we've seen from all the feedback we get from customers who go to our resorts. The experience has always been fantastic, and that is one that we've been able to deliver for families in leisure destinations, and we want to do that on a much larger scale."

Asked why the group has stayed away from conventional hotels and restricted itself to Club Mahindra, Shah said.

"That has been the model of the past but the business is looking at various options now, and is exploring, what are models that make sense, and how can we expand beyond just vacation ownership that we are doing (now)," he said.

India’s Tourism Ministry said 9.95 million foreign tourists visited in 2024, led by arrivals from the U.S.

More for you

US Tops India’s Inbound Tourism in 2024
iStock

U.S. led India’s inbound tourism in 2024

Summary:

  • India received 9.95 million foreign tourists in 2024, up from 9.52 million in 2023.
  • U.S. led India’s inbound and outbound travel in 2024 with 1.8 million American visitors.
  • The UAE was the top overseas destination for Indians, hosting 7.7 million travelers.

THE U.S EMERGED as India’s largest inbound tourism market in 2024, sending 1.8 million visitors, according to the India’s Ministry of Tourism. The U.S. also ranked among the top destinations for Indian travelers, welcoming more than 2.1 million visits last year.

Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said these figures signal strong momentum in both inbound and outbound travel, The Tribune reported.

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

IHCL, Ambuja plan 15 new hotels in India

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.

Keep ReadingShow less
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
Tata Launches Asset-Light Platform for IHCL via Tata Sons
Ginger Hotels

Report: Tata launches asset-light platform for IHCL

SUMMARY:

  • Tata Sons launched a hospitality platform for Indian Hotels Co. Ltd., enabling revenue-share operations on group-owned assets.
  • The first asset on the platform is a Ginger hotel near Kolkata airport.
  • IHCL is set to reach 400 hotels by the end of July and targets 700 by 2030.

TATA SONS LAUNCHED a new hospitality platform to support Indian Hotels Co. Ltd., enabling it to operate group-owned hotels on a revenue-share model while staying asset-light. The first project under this initiative is a 195-room Ginger hotel under construction near Kolkata airport.

Keep ReadingShow less