The Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL), a Tata group company that has been aggressively spreading its reach globally, is now looking to make inroads into the growing markets of China, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
Raymond Bickson, managing director and CEO of ICHL, said, ?China and the Middle East are two of the most important markets for the company. We are moving aggressively in the Middle East, and in the next two-three years we will be setting up at least 5-6 hotels in the region. We are close to establishing our first property in Dubai and Doha, and we will also be adding a couple of properties in Abu Dhabi.? Bickson was speaking on the sidelines of a press meet to announce a strategic marketing alliance with Japan?s Okura Hotels and Resorts.
All its properties in the Middle East will be on management contract basis. In Southeast Asia, the company is closely eyeing the possibility of setting up hotels in Vietnam, Burma and Bali. On the Chinese market, he said, ?We are evaluating all the options of having our presence there, right from management contract to acquisition or even setting up our own hotel there.? The company has recently made high-profile acquisitions of luxury hotels in Boston and San Francisco.
The company currently manages, owns and operates 83 hotels worldwide, of which 66 are in India. The company is reportedly planning to take that number to 127 by 2010. It has already announced that it will raise about Rs 1,924 crore for the expansion through a rights issue.
The company on Wednesday entered into a strategic marketing alliance with Okura Hotels & Resorts of Japan to develop cross-promotional opportunities for both the companies to harness each other?s strengths in the respective markets for two years. Both the hotel chains will take combined reservations for each other for the nominated hotels from September 5, 2007.
