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With a strategic turn toward the growing domestic travel industry, Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) wants to treble the number of hotel rooms in its India pipeline over the next five years.
Operating 32 hotels in India now, Hilton is behind rivals, including InterContinental (IHG) with 45 properties, Hyatt (H) with 50, and Marriott (MAR) with 150. Hilton has concentrated on growing its portfolio to close the difference, especially in the midscale category, which appeals to middle-class, budget-conscious guests.
Hilton revealed on Monday a licensing arrangement with India's Embassy Group to open 150 Spark brand hotels all throughout the nation. Unlike its ten-year China-first approach, Hilton has launched Spark in Asia from India. "It is the first brand in APAC where we started as an India-first launch, citing India's potential and a difficult environment in China," Watts added.
With efforts focused beyond China following a 9% decline in third-quarter room revenue despite reduced discretionary travel expenditure in the nation, Hilton CEO Christopher Nassetta recently indicated a change in the company's APAC strategy.
The strong domestic travel sector of India has drawn outside capital. Driven by great demand for domestic travel and hotel expansion, JLL predicts real estate investments in India's hotel sector to reach $414 million in 2024, a 22% rise YOY.
This article first appeared on GuruFocus.