IHG Hotels & Resorts sees significant potential in expanding its luxury portfolio in India — though not through its existing brand Six Senses, which will not see additional growth for now. Kenneth Macpherson, chief executive officer, Europe, Middle East, Asia, and Africa, said the group is instead exploring opportunities to bring three of its other high-end global brands — Regent, Kimpton, and Vignette Collection — into the country.
“Right now we are going to be looking at very exclusive growth for Six Senses. There are also opportunities to bring in three of our other luxury brands we haven’t brought here so far, like Regent, Kimpton and Vignette Collection, which also have huge potential,” he said. Of the 27 Six Senses properties globally, two are in India.
The UK-headquartered hospitality company, which runs brands like Intercontinental, has stepped up its expansion in India and is set to introduce a new hotel brand here before the end of the year, Macpherson said, speaking to Mint. Seven of the 20 brands it operates globally are currently in India. Intercontinental was first launched in India in the 1960s and still has a strong brand recall, according to him.
IHG has signed nine new hotels in India so far this year, including one in Jim Corbett, which will mark the debut of its Crowne Plaza brand there. Other upcoming properties include a Holiday Inn in Puri, Odisha, and hotels on the Bengaluru-Mumbai-Goa Highway and Kasauli. Typically, hotels take between 3-5 years to build when developed as greenfield projects.
New brands
Among the new introductions is Garner Hotels, one of the company’s most recently acquired global brands. IHG announced the brand’s India entry this week with two properties — one each in Etawah, Uttar Pradesh, and Kathua, Jammu & Kashmir. These are expected to open in 2026 and 2027 and will cater to affordable-stay travellers. The brand follows a franchise or third-party model, with Rosaoul Hotelco Pvt. Ltd (Rosastays) is managing both properties and helping scale the brand in India. Garner is a mid-market, primarily conversion-based brand. A conversion hotel brand is an existing hotel that changes its name to become a part of a bigger hotel chain.
In 2024, IHG’s global chief executive, Elie Maalouf, said the British hospitality company would ramp up its India presence, aiming to double the number of operating hotels in the next five years. The company signed 17 new deals in 2024 and currently has 47 hotels in India with around 70 more in the pipeline — which could translate to roughly 9,200 additional rooms. Its existing hotels account for 8,000 rooms.
This next phase of growth will span cities such as Mumbai, Amritsar, and Goa, with new signings spread across both mid-scale and upper-mid-scale segments. The full pipeline will be realised in the next 3-5 years. IHG’s other global brands include Six Senses, voco Hotels, Holiday Inn Resort, and Holiday Inn Express. Macpherson said that The Holiday Inn brands generate the maximum revenue across its India portfolio.
Select brands
IHG is being selective in the brands it brings to the country, even as it continues to pursue growth. Last year, it signed a property in Hyderabad with the Brigade Group, focusing primarily on its mid-market brands. Maalouf noted that India still has a smaller branded hotel footprint than China, but it is on a promising trajectory. While it is not yet a top ten market for IHG, Macpherson added, India is among the top ten “emerging” or “high growth” markets for the company globally.
IHG isn’t the only hospitality major with ambitious plans for India. In recent weeks, other hotel companies have also announced record signings. Marriott International said it achieved a record year for signings, while Hyatt has scaled up operations significantly in the country.
IHG’s revenue per available room (RevPAR) in India in 2024 rose 8.6%, higher than the average 6.6% across its Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. Macpherson said its nationwide occupancy stood at 70%, about two percentage points above the industry average.
India currently has around 200,000 branded hotel rooms, including those operated by IHG, and this number is expected to increase to 300,000 by 2030. A hospitality consultancy Hotelivate report published in October 2024 stated that around 16,000 new rooms were added to India’s total hotel inventory in FY24, with broad-based growth across metro cities and smaller, emerging markets.
Key takeaways
- IHG Hotels & Resorts plans to bring luxury brands like Regent, Kimpton, and Vignette Collection to India, while Six Senses will not see additional growth for now.
- A new mid-market brand, Garner Hotels, will debut in India with properties in Uttar Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir, set to open in 2026 and 2027, catering to affordable-stay travellers.
- IHG aims to double the number of operating hotels in India within the next five years.
- Upcoming hotel projects include Crowne Plaza in Jim Corbett, Holiday Inn in Odisha, and properties in Mumbai, Goa, and Amritsar across mid-scale and upper-mid-scale segments.
- India’s branded hotel room count is expected to increase to 300,000 by 2030 from 200,000, with IHG marking India as one of its top ten emerging markets globally.
