SAYONI BHADURI – Mumbai
India possessing third largest pipeline for InterContinental Hotel (IHG) group, there is a lot excitement. The company recently exited its association with The Lalit Suri Hospitality group for the InterContinental brand. Chris Moloney, COO, South West Asia, IHG said, “We are interested in re-establishing the brand and will do so when we find the right partner, product and location.” They are keen on finding right partners in the gateway cities of Delhi and Mumbai. Of all the IHG brands the Crowne Plaza has seen good growth, Moloney added that this will continue with the 2012 launch of the Cochin property and Greater Noida, and several others scheduled for launch next year. The Holiday Inn is also expanding with 38 Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express hotels in the pipeline, accounting for 80 per cent of IHG’s Indian development pipeline. Two Holiday Inns at Goa and Amritsar and one Holiday Inn Express at Ahmedabad is also to debut by the end of 2012. Moloney commenting on the opportunities in the subcontinent added, “We are opening InterContinental in Dhaka in 2014. Sri Lanka too has great opportunity and we are willing to get into the market if we get the right partner and project.”
As to whether more of IHG brands will enter India, Paul Logan, senior VP development Asia, Middle East and Africa, IHG said “We believe that each market segment needs to be addressed differently and as the market matures and opportunities in newer segment come up we will look at them.” Currently, there are 47 hotels under construction. This compared to China’s 167 operating hotels and 150 under construction is nothing. This growth was the reason why IHG introduced a completely new hotel brand dedicated only to China. Logan added that China and India have a common evolutionary pattern, depending on the growth, the company may consider a brand devoted to India, but nothing in the near future. Moloney further added that driving consistency will be key to their success.
