The mid-scale segment seems to be the top choice of hospitality players expanding in the Indian market. Following the trend, global hospitality biggie The Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, which has127 hotels under the Park Inn brand in 33 countries, recently announced partnership with Gurgaon-based Bestech Hospitalities to open 49 hotels by 2024. The companies will together invest $42 million to develop the first two Park Inn hotels in Gurgaon and Mohali. Interestingly, India is the first market in Asia Pacific where the group has invested. Hubert Joly, global president, CEO and director of The Carlson Rezidor Group, talks to FE?s Vishakha Talreja Guha about this investment and severing of its ties with homegrown hospitality player and its master franchiser for over 10 years, Sarovar Hotels. Excerpts:

What are Carlson Rezidor?s expansion plans for the Indian market?

We operate 52 hotels in the country. We have a target of opening about 100 hotels by 2015, excluding the 49 Park Inn hotels that we will be opening with Bestech Hospitalities. So you see how strong our momentum is in this market. We will open 14 hotels this year across our brands, and we deliver what we announce. Last year, we announced 18 hotels and opened all of them. Our presence in northern India is quite strong, but now we are expanding in southern and western India. Similarly, from high-end brands we are moving to development of mid-scale hotels and we are not just creating city centre hotels, but resort properties too. We are spreading our wings across segments and geographies.

What?s the status of your franchise tie-up for Park Inn and Park Plaza brands (non-exclusive) with Sarovar Hotels?

Sarovar will continue to operate the existing hotels, which will be upgraded according to the latest design that we have for Park Inn. But going forward, it will not be much involved with Carlson?s expansion. We are in talks with the Sarovar Hotels and will be announcing the new basis of our partnership soon. We want to manage our own hotels and don?t want a third-party management. Also Sarovar has its own brands now. So they will expand their brands and we will expand ours with different partners. Besides Park Inn and Park Plaza, we are focussed on our flagship brand Radisson and Country Inn and Suites which is headed by Ranjan Bhattacharya.

Carlson already has four brands in India. Are you planning to bring into the country your brand of fashion hotel ? Missoni?

Yes, we are quite eagerly looking for a partner to bring Hotel Missoni in the country. We are in talks with developers. Considering the fact that its a luxury fashion hotel brand we will be looking at high streets of Delhi, Mumbai or Bangalore for launching our fashion hotel.

You have invested with Bestech Hospitalities for developing two of the 49 announced Park Inns. Going forward will you look at more such investments?

It?s an exception for us to be investing in a market. So we don?t see ourselves investing in the future. We just wanted to create prototype of the new-age Park Inn in India, so it was a strategic investment for us. We are basically a management company and that?s how it will remain.