Hotel investors with an eye on the Indian market should get in now

Hotel investors wanting to break into the Indian market should get a partner and get in quick, industry experts said last week.

The Indian hotel sector is wide open for international brands, according to Raymond Bickson, managing director of Taj hotels, speaking at the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC).

He said: “The room inventory in India could be doubled and it wouldn’t make a dent. We would welcome the other players to the market.”

Uttam Davé, president and chief executive of Interglobe hotels and head of development at Accor hotels, said the optimum time for investment had been two years ago, but India was still a great opportunity.

“The open skies policy means we will soon see an explosion of low fares and more people travelling to the area. They will need places to stay and there simply aren’t enough rooms to meet demand,” he said.

Manav Thadani, managing director of HVS International – New Delhi, agreed. “There is progress being made, the airports were a shambles but now four more are being developed and the roads are much better, but there is still a long way to go.”

Tim Hansing, senior vice-president of acquisition and development at Kingdom Hotel Investment called on the Indian government to make it easier to invest in the country.

Click here for more news from the conference >>

By Emily Manson

Get your copy of Caterer and Hotelkeeper every week - click here to subscribe and save 25%.