Carlson to Open 100 More Hotels in India by 2015

Global hospitality major Carlson, which runs 5-star hotel Radisson, plans to open 19 more hotels in India by the year-end and 100 by 2015 with a total expected headcount of 30,000 by then, a company official said. The US-based hotel chain currently employs around 10,000 people across its 34 hotels (3,234 rooms) in India.

“We plan to open 19 more hotels this calender year. These hotels will help generate 6,000 employment opportunities,” said Hubert Joly, president and CEO, Carlson Hotels. The company has already signed management contracts for about 54 hotels, of which 19, with a total of 2,670 rooms, will open this year. The total project cost of these 19 hotels is estimated at around Rs 2,250 crore.

Of these 19 hotels, 11 are Radisson to be opened in Agra, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Chennai, Ghaziabad, Goa, Greater Noida, Haridwar, Hyderabad, Ranchi and Rudrapur, Joly said. While two Country Inns will come up at Gurgaon and Mussourie, one Park Inn will be opened in New Delhi (CBD) and five Park Plazas will open at Bangalore, Chandigarh, Coimbatore, and New Delhi (Dwarka).

Park Plaza is in 3-4 star hotel segment and Country Inn and Suites and Park Inn are in the mid-segment. About 90 per cent of the hotels are operated, globally, through management contracts and franchise model. “We are quite optimistic about the India’s tourism and travel growth story. We see India as a strategic destination with enormous opportunity and hence plan to scale-up our operations here,” Joly added.