Chatwal plans to open 52 hotels in India

New Delhi -  US-based hospitality major Hampshire Hotels and Resorts promoted by Indian American entrepreneur Sant Chatwal plans to launch 52 hotels in India in the next five years, under the Dream and Night brands.

About 40 Night Hotels, which is a luxurious lifestyle brand, and 12 Dream Hotels, a boutique hotel targeting the business traveller, would come up in places like Goa, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Jaipur, Udaipur, Hyderabad and Kolkata.

The hotels, brainchild of Chatwal's son Vikram, would be managed by one of the world's largest chain of hotels, the Wyndham Group.

"We would like to give more options for the 70 million Indians that travel within the country. Our aim is to be the largest boutique hotel company in the world in the next 10 years," said Vikram Chatwal.

Sant Chatwal said his company would invest Rs.2,000 crore in these ventures -- many of which would be operated on a franchisee basis.

"We have already signed 18 deals for both Dream and Night hotels. Most of them would be on the franchising and management model," said Sant Chatwal, chairman and chief executive of Hampshire Hotels and Resorts.

Chatwal, one of the most known faces of the Indian diaspora in the US, said he had already invested Rs.1,000 crore in various properties, including building a Dream hotel in Cochin, which has been in operation since 2008.

"For me, India has always been the ultimate hospitality destination. But in comparison to China, which has one million rooms we have only about 120,000," said Chatwal.