India's Hotel Boom Expands into Untapped Markets
Photo Credit: Hotels are now expanding to destinations like Gangtok in Sikkim. Pexels / Harsh Suthar
Skift Take
Post-Covid, hotel chains in India were playing catch up with unprecedented surge in demand. That done, the industry is back to anticipatory expansion, but in unexplored regions this time.
Skift reported last year that the hospitality boom in India was being driven by smaller cities. Now the industry is going even further afield.
This week, IHG Hotels & Resorts signed a Holiday Inn Express-branded hotel in Uttar Pradesh’s Hapur, a city without any significant presence of branded hotels. It is expected to open in 2027 with 120 keys.
“With its location along National Highway (NH) 9 and connectivity to key business hubs, the hotel is well-positioned to cater to both business and leisure travelers,” said Sudeep Jain, IHG’s managing director for Southwest Asia.
Indian hotel chain Sarovar Hotels is also looking at the expanding highway network in India to expand its portfolio. Last December, Sarovar Hotels chairman Ajay Bakaya said, “Highway hotels and resort-concept properties close to cities, within three to four-hour journeys, are a new high-growth segment for hospitality, at a time when co
