Best Western plans Rs. 1,200cr hotel properties

In a bid to expand its hospitality business in India from the current 34 to 100 hotel properties during the upcoming Plan period, the world's largest hotel chain, Best Western International is all set to invest about Rs. 1,200cr in the next half decade. As per the growth in the hospitality industry, which is about 20 percent per annum the hotel chain will open about 15 hotels in each year largely in the tier 2 and tier 3 cities and towns, President and Chief Executive Officer, BW International, David Kong, said adding that the chain would increase its rooms from the current 2,568 to 8,500 rooms globally by 2017.

The over six decade old US-based hotel chain owns 4,200 hotels across 100 countries. It is in fact like Amul the dairy product player wherein the members are elected to the Board of Directors and the Chairman and its member hotels invest Rs. 20 to Rs. 50 lakh each in three ranges of brands for the construction of a hotel. Building a property on a piece of land of about half acre with an investment worth Rs. 12 to 15 crore builders can construct an international standard contemporary 60 room hotel property. The global chain has recently opened its hotel property in Ahmedabad where it has joined hands with the local player Takshshila Realties on a franchisee basis with a management tie up with the Best International and is all set to open another property in the Ellis Bridge area of the same city, he claimed.