InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) is stepping up its expansion in India, underlining strong confidence in the country’s long-term hospitality growth. The global hotel major, which currently operates 50 hotels in India, has set a medium-term target of reaching 400 hotels open and under development within the next five years, with a longer-term ambition of building a 1,000-hotel portfolio nationwide.

Elie Maalouf, Chief Executive Officer of IHG, underscored the scale of opportunity in India, noting that the country today has fewer internationally branded hotel rooms than Manhattan—one of New York City’s five boroughs, according to CNBC-TV18.

“IHG has been present in India for 50 years, but the past decade has fundamentally reshaped the market,” Maalouf said. “Significant investments in roads, railways and airports have boosted travel. GDP growth has moved from low single digits to 6–8%, regulatory reforms have improved ease of doing business, and air travel is growing faster here than anywhere else globally. As a result, travel demand is rising rapidly, while the supply of quality hotel rooms continues to lag.”

IHG currently has 80 hotels in its development pipeline, taking its total portfolio of operational and under-construction properties to 130. According to Maalouf, this momentum places the company firmly on track to achieve its 400-hotel milestone over the next five years, which he described as only the beginning of IHG’s India journey.

Maalouf further indicated that India has the potential to emerge as one of IHG’s top three global markets. “With a population of 1.5 billion and a middle class expected to grow by another 400 million over the next 15 years, the opportunity spans business travel, leisure, religious tourism and weddings,” he said.

Drawing comparisons with China, where IHG is on course to operate 1,000 hotels by early 2027 despite a population less than a quarter of India’s, Maalouf added, “Given India’s young demographic profile and sustained infrastructure investment, there is no reason the country cannot also support a 1,000-hotel footprint in the long term.”