Hotel Industry in India

The Indian Hotels Company and its subsidiaries are collectively known as Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, recognised as one of Asia’s largest and finest hotel company. Incorporated by the founder of the Tata Group, Jamsetji N Tata, the company opened its first property, The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Bombay, in 1903. The Taj, a symbol of Indian hospitality, completed its centenary year in 2003. Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces comprises 59 hotels at 40 locations across India with an additional 17 international hotels in the Maldives, Mauritius, Malaysia, United Kingdom, United States of America, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Africa, the Middle East and Australia. The company has had a long-standing commitment to the continued development of the Indian tourism and hospitality industry. From the 1970s through the 1990s, the Taj played an important role in launching several of India’s key tourist destinations. Working in tandem with the Indian government, the Taj developed resorts and retreats while the government developed roads and railways to India’s hidden treasures.

ITC/ Sheraton Corporation
ITC’s Hotel division was launched on October 18, 1975, with the opening of its first hotel – Chola Sheraton in Chennai. ITC – Welcomgroup Hotels, Palaces and Resorts, is today one of India’s finest hotel chains, with its distinctive logo of hands folded in the traditional Namaste is widely recognised as the ultimate in Indian hospitality. Each of the chain’s hotel pays architectural tribute to ancient dynasties, which ruled India from time to time. The design concept and themes of these dynasties play an important part in their respective style and decor. With more and more hotels being added at strategic destinations, the group has joined hands with the Sheraton Corporation to strengthen its international marketing base. A successful marketing franchise for almost 25 years now, there are currently 10 ITC – Welcomgroup Sheraton hotels, and more in the pipeline.

The Leela Group
Founded in 1957 by Capt. C.P. Krishnan Nair, the Rs.4.5 billion Leela Group is engaged in the business of ready-made garments and luxury hotels and resorts. The Leela Kempinski, Mumbai and The Leela, Goa are two of the best hotels in India, and have also won considerable international acclaim. For this to have been achieved in 12 short years is nothing short of remarkable. Recently in 2001 Capt. Nair fulfilled his longstanding dream of constructing a palace hotel in the garden city of Bangalore. The Leela Palace Kempinski, Bangalore is built in art deco style recreating the grandeur of The Mysore Maharajas Palace. It is set amidst 8 acres of landscaped garden and waterfalls. It is a palace with the heart of a modern hotel. Its 254 Corporate Catalyst India A report on Indian Tourism and Hotel Industry rooms are opulently furnished and are befitting royalty. The newest addition The Leela Kovalam is Kerala’s largest resort, built on a rock face cradled between two wide sweeping beaches with a stunning view of the famous Kovalam coastline.

The Bharat Hotels Group
The Bharat Hotels group is a major player in India’s tourism and hotel sector. It operates its hotels under ‘THE GRAND’ banner and its present portfolio of hotels incorporates FOURTEEN luxury hotels in the five-star deluxe segment. These include InterContinental ‘The Grand’ hotels in New Delhi, Mumbai, Goa & Srinagar and The Grand Ashok Bangalore, The Grand Laxmi Vilas Palace Udaipur and The Grand Temple View Khajuraho. Additionally, soon to open hotels in 2008-09 are – The Grand Great Eastern Kolkata, The Grand Jaipur, The Grand Resort Bekal, The Grand Ahmedabad, The Grand Chandigarh, The Grand Noida and The Grand Fort Dubai.By 2009, the company plans to open hotels in Hyderabad, Amritsar and other key locations.

The EIH Ltd (The Oberoi Group)
Asian elegance is the key to running hotels, if you ask EIH (better known as The Oberoi Group). The company owns and operates about 20 luxury hotels, about 10 mid-range hotels, and two inland cruises; The Oberoi Group operates primarily in India, but also in Australia, Egypt, Indonesia, Mauritius, and Saudi Arabia. Most of the company’s luxury properties bear the Oberoi banner. The company in 2004 joined forces with Hilton International to rebrand most of its mid-range hotels as Trident Hiltons (the former Oberoi Towers is now known as the Hilton Towers Mumbai).

The Oberoi Group also operates luxury cruises of the Nile River and India’s Kerala region. India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) / The Ashok Group India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) was established in 1966 as an autonomous public sector corporation, entrusted with the task of helping develop tourism infrastructure and promoting India as a tourist destination. The ITDC Ashok Group of hotel chains manages some of the best five star and luxury tour hotels in the Indian hospitality industry. The hotels run by the ITDC Ashok Group of hotel chains may be divided into different categories, these are elite hotels, comfort hotels and classic hotels. The ITDC Ashok Group of hotel chains manages 33 hotels in 26 different tourist destinations all over India. The management of Ashoka Group believes in offering the best in the hospitality industry and the staff at each of the hotels run by the group is especially trained to be courteous and efficient.

The Ashok Group of hotel chains boasts of running some of the best hotels in the Indian hotel industry. The hotels that are a part of the elite and classic category of the ITDC Ashok Group are the Ashok Hotel in New Delhi, the Kovalam Ashok Beach Resort in Kovalam, Kerala, the Agra Ashok in Agra, Hotel Jaipur Ashok in New Delhi and the Qutab Hotel in Corporate Catalyst India A report on Indian Tourism and Hotel Industry New Delhi. Most of the hotels managed by the ITDC Ashok Group have had the privilege of playing host to several international and national dignitaries.

The Hotel Corporation of India (HCI)
The Hotel Corporation of India Limited (HCI) is a public limited company wholly owned by Air India Limited and was incorporated on July 8, 1971 under the Companies Act, 1956 when Air India decided to enter the Hotel Industry in keeping with the then prevalent trend among world airlines. The objective was to offer to the passengers a better product, both at the International Airports and at other places of tourist interest, thereby also increasing tourism of India.

Jaypee Hotels Ltd.
Jaypee Hotels Limited primarily engages in the ownership and operation of hotels in India. The company owns three Five Star Deluxe Hotels, namely Jaypee Palace Hotel at Agra, and Jaypee Vasant Continental and Jaypee Siddharth Hotel at New Delhi. It also manages the operation of the hotels Jaypee Residency Manor at Mussoorie and Jaypee Green Resorts. In addition, Jaypee Hotels involves in construction operations. The company is headquartered in New Delhi, India. Jaypee Hotels Limited is a subsidiary of Jaiprakash Associates Limited