The hotel chain already owns four hotels in Darjeeling, Siliguri, Port Blair, Udhagamandalam and a resort complex at Chalsa in North Bengal. It is looking at a turnover of Rs 11-12 crore for the current financial year.Sinclairs chairman Navin Suchanti said: ``We are looking at single-owner properties that are not being managed well at the moment. We will be concentrating on the eastern region as that would help us offer a comprehensive package to our guests.''

``We want to own functional properties in a cluster. With marketing offices in 10 cities, we will be able to sell the services of properties which are not doing well at the moment,'' said Pressman group chairman Niren Suchanti.Niren, who is the elder brother of Navin, also looks after the marketing of the hotel chain in the western part of the country and abroad. The Suchanti brothers met reporters at their resort at Chalsa on Sunday.

The Pressman group took over Sinclairs with two properties in Siliguri and Darjeeling in 1990. Thereafter, the company also acquired properties in Udhagamandalam and Port Blair.

Sandel Resorts Ltd and Benchmark Homes & Resorts Ltd, the owners of the properties of Port Blair and Udhagamandalam, were merged with Sinclairs Hotels & Transportation Ltd.

All these hotels were making losses with the Port Blair property having eroded its net worth. At present, the company has an equity base of Rs 3.5 crore with reserves of Rs 12 crore.

The resort at Chalsa is the company's first greenfield project. Sinclairs is also looking at another greenfield project in Calcutta. ``We are waiting for the state government to allot us land. In fact, the proposal is a few years old but I believe papers have moved.'' ``We will have a three-star hotel in the city and that is where the future lies. We are feeling the need to have a presence in Calcutta,'' Suchanti added.

Sinclairs is also looking forward to having its own coach in the Darjeeling Mail to bring over its guests from Calcutta to New Jalpaiguri. ``The proposal is lying with the member-tourism of the Railway Board. We will pay for the cost of the coach and will provide the service and the linen. Railways will have to maintain the coach and we will share the revenues,'' Suchanti elaborated.